Lot 8: Finca La Lomita Marcelino Barrueta Avilés

Located at 2,100 meters above sea level in the State of Mexico—an untraditional coffee region—Finca La Lomita is a family-run farm where some of the original coffee trees, planted over 140 years ago, still produce cherries today.

Our transformation began when my father, Marcelino Barrueta Rodríguez, noticed that coffee naturally grew well on our land. Curious, he began visiting farms across Veracruz, Chiapas, and Puebla, attending grower conferences and learning about processing methods. In 2015, he passed the farm on to me, Marcelino Barrueta Avilés. I was determined to continue his vision and began formal training to better understand agronomic practices, harvest techniques, and post-harvest processing.

In 2018, roasters from Toluca Capital City visited our farm. After cupping our coffee, they told us it had unique flavor potential and exceptional quality. That moment marked a turning point—we realized we were producing specialty coffee, even without knowing it.

Motivated by this discovery, we immersed ourselves in the world of specialty coffee. We trained at institutions like Chapingo University and the Universidad Autónoma de Huatusco, taking courses on selective harvesting, anaerobic fermentation, and shade drying. We continuously experiment and refine our techniques to highlight the terroir of our high-altitude microclimate.

Our post-harvest process is designed to maximize quality:

Cherries are hand-picked at optimal ripeness (20–25° Brix)

Washed and floated to remove defects

Anaerobic fermentation for 48 hours, followed by a second 16-hour fermentation for full mucilage removal

Shade-dried on raised beds for 10 days

Stored in jute bags in a cool, dry space before export

In 2022, we debuted at Mexico’s Cup of Excellence, placing 14th with a score of 88.64. In 2023, we returned and placed 12th with 88.00.

At Finca La Lomita, we are proud to be among the few producers elevating coffee from the State of Mexico, showing that with passion, knowledge, and care, world-class coffee can come from unexpected origins.