Alfredo Rivera, farm El Prado

My father was often ill and he died when I was still only a boy.

His death forced me to start working the small plot of land that we owned. This is half a century ago now, and we grew corn back then. With lots of effort, I was able to buy a bit more land and decided to convert to coffee, because I noticed that it yielded more income than corn. 

That’s how, around 1992, I harvested my first crop of coffee beans and started a new chapter in my life. Little by little, I diversified the varietals and now I grow Borbon, Catimor, Parainema and IH-café 90. The latter two are especially resistant against leaf rust.

That said, I also still cultivate a bit of corn and red beans on my land as well. It’s for our own consumption, and much cheaper than having to buy it at the local market. My wife and I have eight children, so there were many mouths to feed when they were little. Six of them are daughters, who now live with their spouses and have children of their own. Two are sons, who are also adult, but who still live with us and they work with me on our finca. 

I’m fortunate to have them, as I was born in 1960 and am now too old to tend to the land on my own. It’s only 1,5 hectares, but still, it requires a daily effort to maintain it well. We need to cut the weeds, keep the plants tidy, make sure that there is enough shade, but not too much, harvest the crop, dry and prepare the beans, and keep the land fertile. 

I’ve stopped using fertilizers. Partly because it was compulsory to obtain the organic certification, but also because it became too expensive. Now, we use the pulp that is left over when the beans are depulped, and we use the excrements of our chickens as well. This leads to a much healthier finca, and better beans as well. 

It’s thrilling to know that a renowned specialty coffee importer in Taiwan has bought some of our coffee in 2022. Before, I barely even knew where Taiwan was located, but my sons helped me find it on a map called Google on the internet. It’s incredibly far away and I can barely believe that my beans will end their journey so far away. It fills me with pride and also with renewed hope. 

Finally, we are being rewarded fairly for the effort that we are putting into our work. Three decades of rough and tough labor for me, and almost ten years for my sons. I cannot wait until the next harvest starts, as I now have new vigor and a tangible prospect for stable relationships with buyers of quality beans!

Farm facts

1,5 hectares at 1,430 meters

Shadow from many different local trees, a bit of orange and some avocado.

Pacas, Borbon, Catimor, Parainema, IH-Café 90

Farm certified organic, fair trade, RFA