In the footsteps of the Tsotzil & Tseltal in San Cristobal de las Casas

In addition to excellent taste, sustainable and fair trade relationships are the key foundation for Süssmund's green coffee selection. This includes careful treatment of flora and fauna (organic farming, certified or not) and direct trading relationships with the coffee producers.

That's why we visited the Unión Majomut cooperative in San Cristobal de las Casas, in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, in January 2024. Majomut is part of the SPP (Símbolo de Pequenos Productores) initiative, an organization uniting small-scale organic producers in the Global South.

The journey took us via the sweltering Tuxtla Gutierrez, situated at the foot of the surrounding mountains. Then, we took a bus for about an hour and a half, climbing 1,600 meters, to the high plateau of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, to the picturesque little town of San Cristobal de las Casas.

San Cristobal de las Casas is a colorful, vibrant cultural gem known far beyond the borders of Chiapas—and not just among the numerous dropouts. Here, you'll be captivated by the narrow, picturesque streets, lined with colorful houses and indigenous clothing. The hustle and bustle of the streets is characterized by bustling street vendors, exotic scents, and melodious singing and dancing.

After a day of acclimatization, we were eager to visit Manuel and Fernando from the Unión Majomut. This cooperative, founded in the early 1980s, aimed to improve the living conditions of the 35 indigenous Tsotzil and Tseltal communities it comprises.

Since 1992, coffee has been cultivated in a strictly organic manner at altitudes of 900–1600 meters on small, family-run farms, shaded by a variety of crops. Organic fertilizers, diverse flora and fauna, and nutrient-rich soils ensure particularly good growth of the coffee plants.

In addition to food security, environmental protection and democratic participation of all members are cornerstones of this cooperative. The holistic improvement of living conditions includes programs for the renovation and construction of new housing, improved food self-sufficiency, and the promotion of economic participation among female members.

The warm welcome and passionate presentation by the local representatives, as well as the promising coffee tasting afterwards, left a lasting, positive impression. The washed blends from the recently begun harvest presented to us were extremely clean, sweet, and complex. The processing – in this case, wet or washed – takes place directly on the farms. The beans are then transported to the dry mill in San Cristobal, where they are graded into different quality levels, hulled, and prepared for export.

After diligent planning of transport logistics, we were able to import a container of organic green coffee directly from Chiapas to Vienna for the first time in July 2024. The green coffee initially spent days on a truck from the highlands down to the Gulf of Mexico and into the port of Veracruz. The shipment itself took around four weeks to Hamburg, a considerable distance across the vast Atlantic.

We couldn't wait and are very excited to begin a new chapter. With the first container of green coffee imported from Chiapas, we have laid the foundation for a long-term, sustainable, and fair trade relationship. By trading directly with Majomut, the producers earn a much higher income than if they sold to middlemen, and the stable relationship with Süssmund protects them from the volatile fluctuations of the commodity markets.