Mataquescuintla and Semilla Coffee
The Roasters Pack has featured coffees from Mataquescuintla in the past, and we plan on continuing to do so, to support the communities involved. Here’s an overview of what has happened, with an update from Brendan Adams of Semilla Coffee, a Canadian coffee importer and exporter who works closely with the Mataquescuintla coffee producers.
Escobal mine, located in Mataquescuintla, Xalapa, Guatemala, was owned by Canadian company Tahoe Resources. As they sought a mining license from the Guatemalan government, the Indigenous Xinka people fought back to defend their rights to a healthy living environment, clean drinking water, and survival. Since April 2013, despite a 98% opposition to the mining project, the Guatemalan government granted a 25-year license to begin mining.
Over the years, many protests occurred without resolution. In 2017, the Guatemalan Constitutional Court finally ruled in the protesters’ favour and suspended the mine’s license. Tahoe Resources then sold the halted mine in 2018 to Canadian-based company Pan-American Silver. They intend to continue pursuing the construction of what is estimated to be the second-largest silver mine in the world, and continue to work and build without the consultation nor consent of the Xinka Parliament. Many complaints have been lodged stating that there has not been adequate environmental impact testing, and since then, the mine is on a moratorium.
Bows Coffee initially teamed up with other Canadian roasters like Drumroaster to increase the buying power for the area. Now, many others have joined in to support. We talked with Brendan Adams to learn more about what has been happening since last year. Some updates include: a recent local voting in Xalapa, political shifts in presidency and power, and new evidence from environmental testing.
2025 VOTING: Adams shared that local voting is incredibly democratic, where the Xinka people line up to sign a physical document with signatures to submit to the court. On their recent voting day, they had thousands of people waiting to submit their anti-mine votes, and concluded that it remained a resounding no from the community.
PRESIDENCY: In 2024, Guatemala elected a new President, Bernardo Arévalo, who is incredibly supportive of Indigenous groups. The Xinka People are a major Indigenous group in Guatemala, and Arévalo is the only Guatemalan President to have visited the Xalapa region specifically to meet the community. Arévalo has expressed interest in an overarching moratorium on open pit mining, and the key piece may be evidence from environmental testing, to prove that mining is not beneficial to Guatemala.
NEW EVIDENCE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING: Previous tests have shown elevated levels of arsenic in the water supply nearby the mine, while waters in the general area test as some of the cleanest in the country. Biologists and geologists have recently assessed the environmental impact on mining. They continued to find arsenic and heavy metals in the groundwater, as a result of fracturing of the surface from high impact drilling. In some areas, the earth had split and houses had collapsed and fallen in because of the drilling. Due to the tailing ponds from mining, toxic substances have been leaking and draining into the water supply, and have serious consequences on health and safety. In May 2025, they delivered those results directly to the Guatemalan government, and the final decision to end open pit mining is pending.
Semilla’s support and involvement in bringing in coffees from Mataquescuintla have had a significant impact on the communities there. They now purchase coffee from 65 producers in 3 different communities, distribute coffees across North America and Europe, and also support with improving coffee quality through coffee education. As we hear more positive updates about the Mataquescuintla area, it’s heartwarming to see positive change in this community, and with efforts like these, we’re all—hopefully—helping to shift how the coffee supply chain works, one step at a time.
Dustin Yu
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