The second journey in the Ambassador Programme starts at night in Guatemala City, the beating heart of this small Central American state rich in history, culture, appeal and, of course, coffee. It’s here that our ambassadors begin their adventure. Dawn sees them visiting the famed Chichi Market, where an expert guide takes the group into the world of local traditions, a mix of Catholic and pagan influences. Their arrival coincides with a dazzling, vibrant festival, the Convite de los Fieros, an explosion of colour, dance, masks and costumes that grips the entire population.

The key moment in the journey is the visit to the Anacafé Research Centre the following day. Much more than a business, Anacafé is a social organisation focused on the cultivation of top quality coffee and driven by a priority commitment: the social responsibility in every coffee bean. The visit gives the participants a firsthand sense of the reach of this commitment, an activity which covers not only ongoing research to optimise cropping and protect the bushes from disease, but also education, healthcare and food safety programmes for farmers and their families, creating a strong support and wellbeing network. The ambassadors’ day then becomes a total sensory experience, including tastings of the various coffee blends, learning the secrets of production and even the thrill of roasting and packaging their own packet of coffee, a precious and meaningful memento of this unique journey.

The following day, the adventure continues through the lush Guatemalan countryside, surrounded by majestic volcanoes and under a clear blue sky. The destination is Finca Buena Vista, an experimental farm affiliated with Anacafé. Here the group visits the local school, where they hand out Christmas gifts to the students and offer to help repaint the building’s exterior. Their visit turns out to be a deep dive into local life, an opportunity to learn about agricultural techniques and share in the farmers’ work as they pick and carefully select the ripe cherries for drying in the sun. There’s also time to contribute to impassioned debates in local co-operatives on the crucial role of women and young people in coffee farming and strategies to mitigate the increasing impacts of climate change on agriculture.

After days of immersion in the greenery of the plantations, the Guatemalan journey draws to a close with a return to the past in the cobbled streets of Antigua, an antique gem (and UNESCO Heritage site) from the colonial period. Here our adventurers explore the numerous specialty coffee shops, where they enjoy the region’s prized coffee blends and traditional sweet treats. A perfect ending to an experience that enriched everyone by revealing the local inhabitants’ passion and deep ties to the precious coffee plant.