Meet the Farmer: Andrés Trujillo

“My father taught me how to grow coffee when I was a boy. It’s always been my family’s livelihood. I decided to continue the tradition, growing coffee myself for my family about 20 years ago.

I grow coffee rather than doing something else because it’s our best economic alternative. It’s the economic driver in this area and it’s what everyone knows. We rely on hired workers to be able to run the farm, and the people who want to work around here only know how to grow coffee. If we planted other (cash crops) we wouldn’t be able to hire people to help us. People around here don’t like to deal with other kinds of crops.

My goals as a coffee producer are to be able to have direct access to a stable market for my coffee, someone that really appreciates the quality we can produce here and to have a guaranteed income. In my personal life, my goals are to get out of debt and to set a good example for my children so that they can one day become successful coffee producers.

We are interested in adding more value to our product to be able to reach our goals. We would appreciate any support or training from roasters (and others on the other side of the value chain) around how to improve the quality of our coffee.

At this farm we perform the natural process. We started processing this way because it is more environmentally responsible (because it does not use water and does not have the potential to contaminate waterways with decomposing organic matter). We continued with the natural process because we realized that we could extend fermentation further and this allows us to achieve a desirable cup profile. We normally do 24 and 48-hour fermentations (before initiating drying), as well as 200-hour extended fermentations. We dry the coffee in as little as 15 days when the weather is warm and the sun is out, but it can take up to 30 days when the weather is cooler and cloudier.

We look for consistency from buyers and likewise offer consistency. I feel it’s very important to be serious about commitments. When I make a commitment with someone to deliver my coffee, I always come through to fulfill my commitment. (This is not the norm in the local context.)

We have faced certain challenges. We carry a debt burden, which is sometimes a challenge for us, especially when our income is unstable (as is the nature of coffee production). Sometimes the climate is unpredictable and it can be cool and rainy for a long time (making it difficult and slow to dry and be able to sell coffee). And sometimes the harvests can be inconsistent. Production can vary a lot.

As a community, one challenge that many of us face is access to town via roadways. Many farms (including ours) do not have access to a road. We ought to work together to open roadways where they don’t run yet so that every farm could have access to roads to be able to move around and be able to transport our coffee.”

Interview responses of Andrés Trujillo | Translated and interpreted by Karl Wienhold | Cedro Alto