The Los Andes estate sits on the southern slopes of the Atitlán volcano in Guatemala, about 50 miles from the Pacific coast. The bulk of the estate is a private nature reserve, which is 60% natural cloud forest, and home to several endangered species, including the Resplendent Quetzal and the rare cabanis tanager (Tangara cabanisi). The reserve is an area in which agricultural production, human development, and conservation work in tandem to create a harmonious, sustainable environment for present and future generations. The infrastructure includes a hydroelectric plant, waste sorting system, energy-efficient stoves, and composting. It supports around 150 workers who all have homes with electricity and clean water, access to on-site medical care, and a quality education.
The slopes of the volcano are a perfect environment for growing premium arabica coffee beans, and the estate, under the direction of Olga Hazard and her family, produces some of the finest beans in the world. Coffee has been grown in Los Andes for more than a hundred years, though initially coffees were processed at a neighboring estate. In 1987, James Hazard decided to install a wet mill and focus on producing specialty coffee. The coffee growing area spans 105 hectares, and is dominated by Caturra and Catuai. This lot is a special blend of washed Bourbon & Caturra that was sourced by 2012 World Barista Champion Raúl Rodas.
Patios are used for sun drying in addition to mechanical dryers which are fuelled by firewood that comes from pruning the shade trees, or from eucalyptus forests that have been planted specifically for this purpose. Other areas of the estate are used for growing tea, quina, avocado, macadamia and rubber. Over the years, systems have been added to re-circulate and treat the wastewater from the wet milling process. All the coffee pulp and mucilage are now used to produce organic fertilizer for the tea gardens which make up about 23 hectares of the estate. The trees are sprayed with extract from the organic fertilizer, to help with nutrition and act as a natural fungicide.