Elida Yolanda Romero, Finca Ojo de Aguita

Before the great leaf rust that hit our country in 2013, my husband cultivated coffee, but we lost everything in a single harvest…

Not much after that, we decided that my husband would risk the dangerous journey north, to the US, and I would stay home to raise our children. It was a difficult and sad decision, but it was also the only viable way forward for our family. Basically, we could choose between starving to death, or separating our children knowingly from their father, and we chose the latter.

My husband has been sending money ever since, and in 2019 we decided that I would start growing coffee again. In the beginning, he had to lead me through every step and teach me from afar. Now, I go to our finca every morning with lots of enthusiasm and joy. 

When I’m tired or somewhat sick, the fatigue or vague malaises swiftly fade away when I’m on our land. It’s inspiring and invigorating. I never feel alone while there and I often eat my lunch near the brook that streams through our finca. 

And while I’ve only been growing coffee since 2019, I’m very excited that I sold my first micro-lot in 2021 to a female roaster in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Their name is Roasted Ott. Now that I’ve managed to achieve that, I want to focus on ‘small volume – high quality’ coffees a lot more in the years ahead.

In fact, I’m a third generation coffee farmer. My grandparents grew coffee and were able to eke out their livelihood from it, as did my parents. And although nowadays my two sons and one daughter have joined their dad in the US, I still have two adult daughters who live with me and they help me a lot during the harvest season.

But the younger one, who is 23 (in August 2021), is on the verge of opening her own coffeeshop in the nearest town. She’s a barista and will be selling our own coffees there. I’m mostly thrilled, but a tad terrified too. Thrilled of course, as every proud mother would be, and terrified because it’s such a grand undertaking and although she won’t be as far away as her siblings and father, she will no longer be with me on the finca or at home every day. 

Anyway, I’m much too busy to really worry and the few times that I do worry, I sit down near the creek for a while or, when I’m home, I’ll just have a cup of coffee and sit on the porch to watch the sun go down! 

Farm facts

0,7 hectares with great plants and very well kept. Another 1,4 hectares still developing. 

Altitude 1,220 meters.

I cultivate Catimor and Parainema.

There’s abundant natural shadow from pine trees that grow in the wider area. There are a few fruit trees as well and – most notably – two avocado trees that will provide food for the family for the first time in 2021.

The finca is Fair Trade and Organic and RFA certified.