Community members from El Tablón & Toloxcoc
Community members from El Tablón & Toloxcoc
Rabinal, Baja Verapaz. Guatemala.
Rabinal, Baja Verapaz. Guatemala.
I arrived in Rabinal, Baja Verapaz while working on a rural electrification project. I wasn’t looking for coffee—but the valley has a way of staying with you. The light on the mountains, the pace of life, the warmth of its people. It is one of Guatemala’s most beautiful regions, and also one of its most challenged: long droughts, limited electricity, and communities whose potential has rarely been reflected in the market.
Within that contrast, I found something extraordinary. Small, expressive coffee lots—full of character and precision—grown with remarkable skill, yet largely unseen beyond their place of origin.
Coffee has always been part of my family’s history: old machines, quiet rituals, stories passed down without ceremony. But in Rabinal, coffee became something more. It became a language of possibility—a way to build on what Guatemala already does exceptionally well.
At the time, I had just returned home after years abroad, having completed my MBA at MIT, searching for work that aligned purpose with impact. Rabinal offered clarity: when talent and quality exist, access should too.
That belief became Batch 22.
We began with 21 micro-producers and one connecting link—twenty-two, together. What started as a small circle has grown as more producers have joined, drawn by the same hope: that their work might travel further, and their livelihoods change through visibility and fair access to market.
Today, Batch 22 exists to identify each producer’s finest lots, protect their identity, and create direct pathways to buyers who value traceability, craftsmanship, and origin. This is not charity—it is structure, recognition, and long-term value creation.
Rabinal faces real challenges. But it is also rich in excellence.
Batch 22 was created to honor that excellence—and to elevate what is already here.
This is our story: discovered by chance, rooted in heritage, and shaped by a commitment to create value where it matters most.
I hope that in every cup, you taste the place, the care, and the people behind each batch.
Isabel
I arrived in Rabinal, Baja Verapaz while working on a rural electrification project. I wasn’t looking for coffee—but the valley has a way of staying with you. The light on the mountains, the pace of life, the warmth of its people. It is one of Guatemala’s most beautiful regions, and also one of its most challenged: long droughts, limited electricity, and communities whose potential has rarely been reflected in the market.
Within that contrast, I found something extraordinary. Small, expressive coffee lots—full of character and precision—grown with remarkable skill, yet largely unseen beyond their place of origin.
Coffee has always been part of my family’s history: old machines, quiet rituals, stories passed down without ceremony. But in Rabinal, coffee became something more. It became a language of possibility—a way to build on what Guatemala already does exceptionally well.
At the time, I had just returned home after years abroad, having completed my MBA at MIT, searching for work that aligned purpose with impact. Rabinal offered clarity: when talent and quality exist, access should too.
That belief became Batch 22.
We began with 21 micro-producers and one connecting link—twenty-two, together. What started as a small circle has grown as more producers have joined, drawn by the same hope: that their work might travel further, and their livelihoods change through visibility and fair access to market.
Today, Batch 22 exists to identify each producer’s finest lots, protect their identity, and create direct pathways to buyers who value traceability, craftsmanship, and origin. This is not charity—it is structure, recognition, and long-term value creation.
Rabinal faces real challenges. But it is also rich in excellence.
Batch 22 was created to honor that excellence—and to elevate what is already here.
This is our story: discovered by chance, rooted in heritage, and shaped by a commitment to create value where it matters most.
I hope that in every cup, you taste the place, the care, and the people behind each batch.
Isabel