"We don't grow spice for the world to notice us—we grow it so the world remembers where it came from."
Ernesto Kuhn Lopez
In the mist-veiled highlands of Alta Verapaz, where the air is heavy with the scent of orchids and cardamom, GuateTraders was born in the upheaval of 1944--the year Guatemala turned a page in its political history. That year, as a democratic revolution swept through the country and the dictator Jorge Ubico was forced to resign, the indigenous Q'eqchi' Maya of Coban were quietly staging a revolution of their own—not political, but agricultural.
Long exploited by coffee barons and foreign conglomerates, a small coalition of families led by a half-German, hald-Q'eqchi' agronomist named Ernesto Kuhn Lopez envisioned a future where local farmers would no longer be laborers on foreign land, but stewards of their own spice empire.
Our Mission
GuateTraders exists to connect the richness of Guatemala's highland spices with the world. Our mission is to honor local tradition, ensure fair and sustainable trade, and deliver exceptional products with integrity. From seed to shipment, we bridge heritage and global demand—one harvest and every relationship at a time.
Join Us on the Journey
True partnerships are built on precision, trust, and time. At GuateTraders, we don't just export spices—we steward a legacy. With disciplined sourcing, meticulous standards, and global reach, we deliver consistency in a volatile world. Align with a house that treats the art of production not as a trade, but as a tradition.