El Colegio

Now in its third year, El Colegio is an exclusive blend created for Thomson's, from the Huehuetenango municipality in the western highlands of Guatemala. This is an area that is rich with undulating hills, valleys and microclimates.

Working alongside both importer Caribbean Goods and the cooperative organisation FEDECOCAGUA, we have blended contributions from over 300 small producers throughout the Cuchumatanes mountains, with coffees grown at elevations ranging from 1,300 to 2,000 m.a.s.l.

El Colegio translates to "The School", and we are proud to be collaborating with Caribbean Goods on a donation project with the MAIA Impact School in Guatemala. We have increased the amount we pay per kilogram of green coffee of El Colegio, and by pooling together donations and resources, we are supporting MAIA with combined donations every few months.

MAIA is an organisation led by Indigenous women for Indigenous girls, based in Sololá, one of the poorest regions of Guatemala. Most girls here are forced into marriage or becoming mothers before the age of 18, and access to education is a privilege. Each year, MAIA supports approximately 250 Indigenous girls through a flagship programme, the MAIA Impact School. 

Our combined approach with Javier at Caribbean Goods increases our impact, and we are grateful to share that our first combined donation was made to MAIA in October 2024 for $1,050 USD. We have seen immense growth in donations since then, and we had the pleasure of visiting MAIA in January 2026, meeting the educators and pupils to discuss and learn from them how we can continue to support them in the ways that they need.