Lotecitos Mexico

Lotecitos, aka the teeny, super tasty coffees from the impeccable Sierra Mazateca. Many producers in this very remote part of Oaxaca grow barely any coffee on their land. Some produce not even a single sack per season. However, the cup quality of these almost nominal amounts is super high.

We wanted to make sure that these teeny but amazing volumes made it in some tangible way to the specialty market. The resulting volume isn’t big enough to be described as a whole community’s blend, nor small enough to be considered as a one off microlot.

And so, the Lotecitos (or tiny lots) were born. The Lotecitos are microlots in their super high quality, whilst being a blend of coffees from several smallholders in the region. Their cup score on purchase meant that high prices could be paid even for the low volume that each producer could provide.

The Mazateca is located in the state of Oaxaca, one of the most diverse states in México, both biologically

and culturally. The Mazateca gets its name from the presence of the indigenous group, the Mazatec,

which is a Nahualt name that translates to “the deer people”. However, in their own language, Mazateco, the group is called Ha Shuta Enima, which means “those who work the hills”.

The land is found between the regions from La Cañada and the Papaloapán Valley, at the northern tip of the state of Oaxaca. As part of the Sierra Madre Sur and the Sierra Oriental, the land is surrounded by

high mountains, cliffs, and hills of mainly mesophile forest, bathed by constant rains, and the

intermittent presence of mist.

The Mazateca is an important indigenous region where 92% of the population speaks an indigenous

language, mostly Mazateco, with a few Nahuatl and Mixtec speakers also. The locals show a connection to

their ancestry through their celebrations and traditions, such as celebrations for each town patron, day of the dead, local seed sowing traditions, and many others.

The region is also one of the most lacking in health and education coverage of the country with an

alarming poverty and illiteracy level. It is made up of small and isolated communities where the main

economic activity is small-scale agriculture, since few people own more than a couple hectares of land.