Beneficios Comunitarios embody a philosophy of being: open spaces where coffee becomes the pretext for deep relationships among growers, families, producers, and the wider supply chain. Each Beneficio Comunitario is a living classroom in which ancient wisdom mingles rigorous quality techniques.
During peak harvest, the mill becomes a collective heart. Local jobs blossom — hand-sorting, turning, moisture checks — and the patio turns into a forum where over 160 Tsotsil producers discuss shifts, prices, and goals. The Beneficio Comunitario San Pedro was founded by our friends at Cafeología in 2018 and is guided by the expert hand of Inez Vázquez. She welcomes every delivery, guiding cherries through flotation, brix checks, and intake logs before selecting their post-harvest path.
Inez Vásquez
Born and raised in the Tsotsil community of San Pedro Cotzilnam, Inez spent eight years training as a barista. This makes her one of the very few people who have worked with coffee at every stage of the supply chain – from picking cherries, to brewing roasted coffee in the bustling cafes of Mexico City. After a yearslong stint behind the bar of Cafeología, she returned home to lead the Beneficio Comunitario. Today she coordinates harvest logistics and post-harvest processing for more than 160 smallholder farmers from Aldama and eight neighboring villages. For Inez, this is more than just a return to her roots: it’s an opportunity to map out the future. It’s a purpose which can be read in the landscape. While visiting Inez in the spring, we walked together in the shade of trees planted to commemorate the birth of each of her family members. These branches, which shelter Aldama’s coffee trees, are symbolic of a community growing together.
Her work blends precision with pedagogy. During the season she repeats one simple rule: “Cada cereza cuenta la historia de quién la cortó; tratémosla con el mismo cuidado.” Each cherry tells the story of the person who picked it. Let’s treat them with the same care.
Those words serve as protocol. Under her direction cherries are floated, measured, and catalogued before entering the washed or honey routes that mark these special coffees; each step is treated with precision and care.
To celebrate this incredible work, we have decided to keep each day’s picking separate. As such, the coffees in this collection represent lot sizes of no more than 250kg. A tiny scale, but one that allows us to fully enjoy the diversity of this special place.
Coffee cherries drying at the Beneficio Comunitario.
The coffee cherries are turned bi-hourly to encourage even drying.
The Beneficio Comunitario San Pedro are an indigenous, Tsotsil community. Pictured is Inez’ mother, Ana Santiz, in traditional Tsotsil clothing. A blouse like this takes 1 month to hand-weave.
