The Story
High in Oaxaca’s Sierra Sur, the community of San Agustín Loxicha is surrounded by lush forest, cooled by Pacific breezes, and steeped in Zapotec tradition. Coffee here grows under a thick canopy of native shade trees such as Cuachepil, Cuil, and avocado. These trees provide not only shade but also food, medicine, building materials, and rich nutrients for the soil.
The journey from the city of Oaxaca takes five hours by road, but reaching the farms is another story. Most producers live in town, with their fields two to three hours away on foot or mule. During harvest, families stay in simple housing on the farms, carrying coffee back to Loxicha over several trips through steep, winding trails.
Nearly all of the coffee here is Pluma, a local Typica mutation that has thrived in this soil and climate for more than 80 years. Many of the farmers are under 30, a hopeful sign for the future of coffee in the region, even as some youth seek opportunity elsewhere. The community’s deep roots show in the practice of Tequio, a shared work system that brings neighbors together for harvest and farm upkeep.
This coffee captures the resilience, biodiversity, and heritage of Loxicha, a place where tradition and landscape shape every cup.
