Nayarit Natural - El Cuarenteño, Mexico

El Cuarenteño’s shade-grown coffee, a product of a community that fought for its own land, embodies that same spirit. Smooth, round, and quietly satisfying, it fills you with a sense of well-being.

The story of El Cuarenteño begins with a land petition. In 1940, following Mexico’s agrarian reform, this rural community in the Sierra de San Juan foothills was granted 3,500 hectares to form their own Ejido—land held collectively, farmed individually, and passed down to children. Today, approximately 840 hectares grow shade-grown coffee at altitudes ranging from 900 to 1,400 meters, offering breathtaking views across to the Pacific’s Three Marias Islands. Three farmer societies work the land, producing both organic and conventional lots.

Mexico’s coffee story is experiencing a resurgence. Coffeegrows across Chiapas, Oaxaca, Nayarit, Puebla, and Veracruz thrive at altitudes between 900 and 1,800 meters, where highland forests and volcanic soils create the potential for emerging quality. Smallholder farms, renewed processing focus, and diverse microclimates contribute to cleaner profiles. Harvest runs from November through March, revealing newly recognized coffees with balanced acidity, sweetness, and regional character.