The Sierra Mágica is in the north of the state of Puebla, an area of magical places, diverse wild flora
and fauna, and impressive natural beauty. The city of Zapotitlán de Méndez is in the heart of the
mountains. This unique town is the most important one in the state, and it hosts two cultures: Totonac and Nahuatl, separated by the Zempoala River. This river is dreamlike because its slopes are in
the same mountain range; it has waterfalls that come from the highest canyon peaks, and the water
flows throughout the area, so it is a vital water resource.
Zapotitlán de Méndez is located on the route of a series of beautiful towns that cross the Sierra
Norte: Pahuatlan, Zacatlán, Zongosotla and Ignacio Zaragoza. Many years ago, a Totonac group’s
displacement led to this town’s foundation due to territorial problems and overpopulation. They
moved along the banks of the Zempoala River, looking for a plan that would allow them to dierentiate themselves from others. Thus, they arrived at a small place that seemed suitable for them to
settle, without knowing that it was a Nahuatl territory.
In the Sierra Norte, where the coee of Sierra Mágica grows nowadays, sugar cane, bananas, and
avocados are grown for local consumption, and ornamental plants are grown in greenhouses for
sale. Its soil is volcanic and rich in minerals.

In 2010, with the decline in coee prices, buyers and intermediaries in the local market oered prices
below the cost of production, so producers could not prosper. This group decided to organize themselves better to find other markets, and despite countless attempts, parchment sales to intermediaries always ended up with low prices. In 2021, Caravela began searching for specialty coees and established the Grower’s Education Program (PECA in Spanish which oers training and education
on farm management, quality, and sustainability to coee growers who joined in the area while also
focusing on long-term relationships to start a new phase in their coee sales and production
process.
Of the 214 growers aliated with the group Productores Agropecuarios PUHUAC, Sierra Mágica
includes 80 coee growers from the Puebla Zapotitlán de Méndez region, 60 of whom are men and
20 women from the area. Most coee farmers are between 60 and 80 years old and have more than
40 years of experience in coee production and farming. On average, their farms cover between 1
and 6 hectares of coee. The coee in this area is of outstanding quality, grown in optimal elevations
for coee production. In addition, the harvest occurs between January and March of each year

Producers focus on harvesting cherries at their optimum ripening point; floating day lots in plastic tanks to remove lower-density cherries, and fermentation can last up to 18 hours on average. The drying method is mainly carried out on concrete patios and raised beds as producers continue improving the
available infrastructure. In this area, coee grows under shade, and it is possible to find ingas, pines, cedars, oaks, and liquidambar trees as part of the agroforestry system. Coee grows at 1100 MASL, and varieties are grown in the following distribution: Typica 30%, Bourbon 40%, Caturra 20%, and Marsellesa
10%