Tour of R. Dalton Coffee Plantation

Day 15 (July 13, 2018) – Antigua, Guatemala

We’ve been traveling around Guatemala quite a bit this past week and we haven’t had much time for blogging, so the next few posts are updates on the things we've done these last two weeks.

On the Friday afternoon of our last Spanish class, July 13, we took a tour of Finca Filadelfia where they grow coffee and, for a portion of what they produce, roast and sell it under their brand name of R. Dalton. We travelled there with Noreen, our fellow home stayer and new friend.

The plantation is surprisingly close to the city center of Antigua, only a 10-minute ride away, up on one of the hillsides. The grounds of the plantation are quite stunning, in a somewhat stark contrast to the surrounding villages. Nonetheless, it was a very nice place to walk around and enjoy the view from the hillside. 

Small coffee plants. Takes them 3 years to reach a couple feet tall.

The main road of the plantation.

A coffee plant.

Unripe fruits.

Ripened fruit with a coffee bean inside. 

The terraces where the beans are dried with Volcan Agua in the background.

Coffee beans in various stages of preparation.

The tour was very interesting. To be honest, I had no idea what a coffee plant even looked like beforehand. But now that I know what they look like I’ve seen these plants absolutely everywhere around Guatemala. They grow on the side of the highway sometimes. I’ve also gained a much greater appreciation for all the work that goes into my morning cup of coffee.