Primavera Projects

As we move forward into the next ten years, Primavera Green Coffee will shift its focus to better pursue the environmental aspects of sustainability - without losing sight of farmer’s economic priorities.

The future of environmental sustainability is here, now: governments and private businesses alike are focused on measures from the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to carbon accounting to new certification programs. We at Primavera will be looking more closely at our value chains and focusing on environmental concerns with better conversations, more in-depth risk analysis, and mitigation projects to protect nature and thus ensure the long-term wellbeing of coffee communities.

Composting, the natural process of breaking down organic matter into soil, is well-known throughout the farming world. With proper management, the resulting material can be a valuable fertilizer with none of the risks associated with chemical fertilizers. The addition of worms, nature’s digesters, speeds up the process, increases biodiversity in the soil, and increases valuable nutrients such as nitrogen.

Climate change effects in Guatemala necessitate urgent action. On coffee farms, as in much of the world’s agriculture, chemical fertilizers contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, and improper use leads to nitrogen leaching, soil acidification, and greenhouse gas release. Simultaneously, coffee farmers often struggle with fertilizer prices and lack affordable organic alternatives, with resulting poor soil nutrition often damaging quality and yields.

Hands holding rich, dark soil with worms crawling in it.

Vermicompost

Project Outline

Pattern of white worms with black outlines arranged in two rows on a black background.
Close-up of soil with small worms in a garden bed, with a partially visible wheelbarrow and person's legs in the background.

20 Farms

In 2025, Primavera’s worm compost project will kick off with support from our partners at US-based non-profit The Chain Collaborative. Starting with 20 pilot farms, each will be given materials and training throughout the season - free of charge - to test the efficacy of worm compost on improving soil health, reducing chemical fertilisers, and reducing farmer costs. In order to increase the effectiveness of the compost, our agronomy team will also be testing the efficacy of biochar, a porous material produced by pyrolysis which encourages the slow release of nutrients, increases soil humidity and can reduce nitrogen loss. 

In 2026, using knowledge gained from the first year of the pilot, the project will target a larger group of farmers with additional kits and training, with the aim to add new farms onto the project year on year for the foreseeable future.

Red-brick café named "Café Tlamit Toliman" with murals and decorations on the exterior wall, including flowers, animals, and colorful flags

Tinamit Toliman

Project Outline

Tinamit Tolimán is an association based in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, primarily focused on the production and commercialization of coffee. Coffee plays a crucial role in the local economy, as 90% of families in the region depend on the crop as a primary source of income. Since Tinamit Tolimán's establishment, they have been committed to ensuring a dignified quality of life for their coffee-farming members, and promoting care for the natural environment.

Starting in 2024, Primavera has supported Tinamit Tolimán’s participation in a two-year Community-Led Development Incubator. This innovative program is operated by The Chain Collaborative, a US-based non-profit, who train local leaders in coffee communities on program development and management, using a project of their own visions for change.

A black background with a white outline of a person and text that reads 'I see you, I understand you, I believe in you.'

Tinamit has designed a pisciculture project to improve the livelihoods of its members through the development of an alternative income source. The initiative focuses on constructing tanks to raise tilapia and other fish, which, in addition to generating additional income for the association, will also contribute to greater food security in the region. 

Following the 2025 harvest, Tinamit Tolimán plans to build a warehouse and office space to store materials for the fish, and to house the fish themselves once they’ve matured and are ready for sale. This will also create a new job for one of their members, who will be trained in raising and caring for the fish.

“We will succeed as a community by continuing to work together, upholding the founding principles of our cooperative and ensuring sustainable wellbeing for all.”
— Vivian Cuc
A black and white illustration of a cartoon skeleton wearing a pumpkin crown and holding a broom, surrounded by bats and falling leaves.
Person washing white beans in a green plastic basin, pouring water from a pink container.

Aguas Mieles

Project Outline

Four blue wavy lines stacked horizontally on a black background.

For coffee producers in Guatemala, water is a scarce but necessary resource. Whether it is for processing, cleaning, or drinking, water is an integral part of a functioning household and coffee farm. The traditional washed process, most common in Guatemala, requires water to remove pulp and mucilage from the beans. That water, once used, contains high concentrations of sugars, acids, and enzymes, becoming what is referred to as aguas mieles, or honey water, due to its sweet smell. 

Releasing aguas mieles untreated into the environment can have harmful effects. Its sugars and proteins feed microorganisms, which multiply rapidly and consume large quantities of oxygen. This results in decreased oxygen levels in the water, which can kill aquatic species. Though small amounts of wastewater may be negligible, the cumulative impact in areas with high coffee production can create significant biological hazards, including to humans. Aguas mieles also have high acidity and suspended solids, which can erode metal and damage municipal water systems. 

Close-up view of a submerged wooden stick in water surrounded by floating white popcorn kernels.

Fortunately, there are simple solutions to this problem. Biodigesters are functional systems which allow the aguas mieles to ferment before release. Once the organic matter is broken down by microbes through anaerobic digestion, the treated water, with significantly reduced organic content and biological oxygen demand, can be safely discharged. This process mitigates environmental pollution and promotes sustainable practices, and as a bonus, the residual solids in the bottom of the digesters can be used as fertilizer. 

Primavera’s aguas mieles project, supported by our partnership with The Chain Collaborative, will install lagoon-style biodigesters on ten pilot farms over the next two years. Lagoon systems, in addition to fermentation, employ filtering substrates and wetland plants to remove as many toxins and residues as possible. The project will provide farmers with all materials as well as training and long-term observation, taking learnings from the pilot farms into the next phase of the project in 2027 and beyond. 

This project is being implemented as part of Primavera’s ten-year strategy to improve environmental sustainability within our supply chain using targeted, data-driven, and community-centered projects.