Origin Spotlight : Guatemala

With its lush, organic landscapes and our deep relationships there, Guatemala is an essential Rishi Direct Trade origin.

O R I G I N S P O T L I G H T

GUATEMALA

Our Direct Trade model applies not only to sourcing tea, but botanicals as well. Our relationship with farmers in Guatemala is a perfect example. In the mountainous region of Cobán, Guatemala, there is a small community called Nimlahakok. We work with a group of farmers there to source cardamom, turmeric and black lemon.

We began sourcing cardamom from Nimlahakok over ten years ago. The annual cardamom crop is harvested over the course of just 1-2 months, when the pods are gathered from the mountain jungle in late summer and autumn. It is an intensely laborious effort. A day’s harvest of cardamom pods might amount to 80-120 pounds. The pods are collected in rustic sacks and are carried painstakingly across the rugged terrain, often slick with mud.

Many members of rural Nimlahakok depend on the cardamom harvest for the majority of their annual income. Six years ago our partners there approached us with an opportunity with turmeric, which had been planted in the region decades ago and was still growing wild. Over the course of two years we collaborated with our farming partners to multiply and plant more turmeric roots. Turmeric is harvested at a different time of year than cardamom, so the farmers have been able to increase their income potential by participating in both crops.

In the last five years, we have also begun sourcing “black lemon,” which is produced through careful drying and enzymatic transformation of a local type of citrus known as Lima limone. Black lemon is an ancient Persian spice with a long history in culinary application and food preservation.

COBÁN REGION - GUATEMALA