MEXICO, KI-SAYA

Tasting Notes: Milk Chocolate | Butterscotch | Hazelnut
Process: Washed
Region: Chiapas, Mexico
Altitude: 1,200 - 1,800 m
Varietal: Caturra, Mersellesa, Typica
Traceability: Smallholder producers - Café Delas
Harvest Period: 2025/26
Roast Profile: Medium

THE PRODUCER

Ki-Saya is sourced from smallholder producers in Chiapas, Mexico, through Café Delas, a coffee sourcing initiative created to promote greater equality of opportunity for women coffee producers within the specialty coffee industry. The name Ki-Saya combines two Mayan words: 'Ki', meaning tasty, and 'Saayab', meaning nature, reflecting the connection between the coffee, the land and the communities who produce it.

Café Delas was created in response to a long-standing imbalance within the coffee industry, where women have often played a central role in cultivation, harvesting and processing while historically having less access to land ownership, agricultural credit, technical training, leadership opportunities and direct control over income. The programme works to address this by sourcing coffee directly from women producers and ensuring their coffees are traceable to women-led farms.

Importantly, Café Delas is not positioned as a charity project. The focus is on recognising skilled coffee producers while improving access, visibility and opportunity within the specialty coffee supply chain. Every coffee remains quality-led, with producers recognised and rewarded based on the quality of the coffee they produce.

THE COFFEE

Ki-Saya is a specially curated organic washed coffee selected from smallholder farms throughout Chiapas, Mexico. Each lot is carefully profiled at origin to ensure consistency and quality while preserving the distinctive character of the region and the producers behind it.

The combination of high-altitude cultivation, traditional farming practices and careful processing creates a smooth, sweet coffee with notes of milk chocolate, butterscotch and hazelnut. The medium roast preserves the coffee's sweetness and balance, making it suitable for both espresso and filter brewing.

THE REGION - CHIAPAS

Chiapas is Mexico’s southernmost coffee-growing state, located within the Sierra Madre mountain range. Its high elevations, fertile soils and diverse climate provide ideal conditions for growing Arabica coffee, with cultivation forming an important part of the region’s agricultural heritage.

Coffee is deeply connected to the communities of Chiapas, where generations of producers have developed their knowledge of cultivation, harvesting and processing. Many farms grow coffee beneath the shade of native trees, supporting the biodiversity of the region while maintaining traditional approaches to farming.

THE PROCESS

Only the ripest cherries are selected before being de-pulped and fermented for 12–17 hours. The coffee is then fully washed and dried on small patios close to producers’ homes.

This careful approach to processing helps preserve clarity, sweetness and balance in the cup. Producers take great care throughout each stage, including hand sorting parchment before delivery, ensuring only the highest quality lots reach the specialty market.

IN THE CUP

A smooth and sweet coffee with notes of milk chocolate, butterscotch and hazelnut. The cup has a balanced structure and clean finish, with the medium roast allowing the coffee's natural sweetness and character to shine.