How did coffee production develop in Mexico's Veracruz region?
Mexico ranks as the world's tenth-largest coffee-producing country, and the state of Veracruz is one of its four core regions. Coffee arrived in the late 17th century from Cuba by way of the Spaniard Juan Antonio Garcia, but early growth was slow because chocolate and Atole were more popular and mining paid better than farming.
From the 1870s, producers in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas sold beans in larger volumes and exports rose. The Mexican Coffee Institute later supported growers with technical and financial help before being dissolved in the 1980s. La Perla farm won the 2024 Mexico COE Washed category with 90.79 points, growing Bourbon, Geisha, SL28 and Pacamara, a marker of the country's coffee industry shift toward specialty.
As the world's tenth-largest coffee-producing country, Mexico's coffee industry has undergone a tortuous journey from its introduction during the colonial period to its modern specialty development. Thanks to its superior geographical and climatic conditions, the state of Veracruz has become one of Mexico's four core producing regions, nurturing numerous high-quality estates. Among them, La Perla farm won the 2024 Mexico COE Washed category championship with a score of 90.79, growing varieties such as Bourbon, Geisha, SL28, and Pacamara. Front Street Coffee takes you on an in-depth look at the terroir code and industrial transformation of this land.
North America ranks third in the world by area, with vast plains dominating its central region, while north-south trending mountain ranges run through both its eastern and western sides. Plateaus and mountainous areas account for a relatively large proportion, and the region also contains quite a few active volcanoes as well as numerous rivers and waterfalls.
At the same time, North America spans tropical, temperate, and frigid zones, with rich and varied climate types. Thanks to suitable geographical and climatic conditions, quite a few countries on the continent have developed coffee cultivation, such as El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Among them, Mexico is the world's tenth-largest coffee-producing country, and in recent years many standout coffee beans have emerged.
According to the view of most scholars, coffee was introduced to Mexico from Cuba by the Spaniard Juan Antonio Garcia in the late 17th century. However, at the time, traditional beverages such as chocolate and Atole (a stimulating drink made from corn) were more popular in Mexico, and since people realized that mining mineral resources was more profitable than growing coffee, coffee cultivation did not develop fully in Mexico in its early period.
By the 1870s, coffee producers in the Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas regions began selling coffee beans in large quantities, and coffee exports thus saw significant growth. Entering the 20th century, the Mexican Coffee Institute (INMECAFE) was established, providing technical and financial support to growers and receiving government investment, and the coffee industry achieved expansion in both output and planted area.
However, by the 1980s, the Mexican Coffee Institute was dissolved, and the government sold off state-run coffee processing plants, causing many farmers to lose their coffee sales channels. Thereafter, both output and quality declined, and this downturn continued into the 1990s and the early 21st century, until a turning point appeared in 2006—the rise of coffee cooperatives and the promotion of organic coffee provided an opportunity for the industry's recovery.
The development of Mexico's coffee industry would not have been possible without the local geographical and climatic conditions. Mexico is located in southern North America, and its territory is basically surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains, with the Mexican Plateau in the center, the flat Yucatán Peninsula in the southeast, and mostly narrow plains along the coast. The country has many volcanoes, plateaus, and mountainous areas. The plateau region is mild all year round, with an average temperature between 10 and 26°C; the northwestern interior has a continental climate, the coastal and southeastern plains have a tropical climate, and the south has a tropical rainforest climate. Most regions have a dry season and a rainy season, and these conditions are all very suitable for coffee cultivation.
Coffee cultivation is distributed across 16 states, but more than 90% of it is concentrated in four major producing regions in the south: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Puebla.
Veracruz is located in south-central Mexico, borders the Caribbean Sea, has a port, and is a distribution center for agricultural products on Mexico's east coast. The state is home to Mexico's highest peak, Pico de Orizaba, and coffee production is centered on the mountains of this region, with cultivation at altitudes between 1,100 and 1,600 meters. Because of its developed industry, this is also the state with the most advanced coffee-growing technology in Mexico.
The state has quite a few high-quality coffee estates, such as La Perla farm. La Perla farm is located in the Coatepec area of the state, in a mountainous area at an average altitude of 1,500 meters, near a canyon. In the canyon, warm air rises and cold air sinks, forming a unique microclimate, and the frequent fog can replenish moisture for the soil and coffee plants.
La Perla farm is managed by Ernesto Pérez Orea and his family. The farm was purchased by the estate owner's grandfather Ernesto, and it was not until 2021 that it began to be used for agricultural production. The farm covers 35 hectares, of which only 10 hectares are used for growing coffee, while the remaining land serves as an ecological reserve. But the farm's focus is not only on production; it also focuses on coffee research to improve quality. For this purpose, varieties such as Bourbon, Geisha, SL28, and Pacamara are grown here, and the farm won the 2024 Mexico COE Washed category championship with a score of 90.79.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
