Coffee in this region has been cultivated, almost exclusively, by small producers since the 1950's. In the 1980's, responding to the increasing demand for specialty coffee, the region took off. Today, virtually every farm in the mountain has become a coffee producing unit; what was one of Guatemala’s poorest and most isolated areas is vibrant and growing. Rainy and cloudy, this area is similar to Cobán in climate, only less so. Located over what was once a volcanic range, its soil is made from metamorphic rock. This makes it balanced in minerals and very different from Guatemala’s volcanic regions, which have all seen volcanic activity since coffee was first planted.
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