Chiapas (Soconusco, Sierra Madre, Altos)

Farming system

Very high coffee density; Indigenous smallholders dominate.

Wide altitude spread → region name alone is meaningless.

Processing reality

Washed dominates.

Drying is hard in many zones due to humidity and cloud cover.

Covered patios, solar dryers, or mechanical dryers separate specialty from commodity.

Supply chain + power

Strong coop presence in some areas; elsewhere, intermediaries dominate.

Specialty lots usually move through programmed coop/exporter relationships.

Buyer truth

Chiapas specialty only works where drying infrastructure is overbuilt relative to volume.