La Guinellera

Miguel is been a coffee grower for over 40 years, and he has owned this farm for 20 years now, making it bigger little by little. He actually was the very first coffee producer in Las Flores community, his sons now own coffee parcels. He works and lives of his coffee land and production. This farm has been worked personally and is the economic source, for his family of eight members, he has 8 permanent employees and 30 temporary during harvest.

Miguel fertilizes twice a , in the months of may and July, during the rainy season, He does his farm's weed control by hand, applies tree pruning, with selective and sanitary purposes, also regulates shade. He does a very active sampling for plagues and pest, even if he does not have any at the farm, jus as a precaution. His harvest starts in January until may sometimes, collecting only the red cherries, using picker from the village. then he moves his crop by horse, 15 minutes, to the wet mill, . Using the less water possible from a protected water source coming directly from the mountain. His fermentations are done in cement tanks for and average of 12 hours, depending on weather and moisture conditions.

Then the coffee is washed and taken into cement patios to dry , in the exporter's patios. It takes Miguel at least one hour to transport by pick up truck, his coffee to the nearest facility or exporter. He says his success lays in picking only the red cherries, he will try to get some solar dryers this year- being careful with the wet milling. He and his family and workers are aware of the protection of the environment and give the proper process to pulp and residue waters. They are involved in wood producing trees projects. Due to the recently past coffee prices crisis, the whole community is behind in development.