The España family, Finca La Cascada

He saw more snow in those five years than most people see in a lifetime. He was cold, lonely, and missed his family. Don Domingo wasn't happy in the far north, not at all. But he earned enough money to keep his family afloat, and five years later, when he returned home, he had enough savings to buy more land, at higher altitudes, and plant more coffee of better varieties.

Thanks to his perseverance in the United States, things began to improve for his family as well. His children could now attend the local public school, and the family could eat three meals a day. Growing coffee at a higher altitude and acquiring more knowledge and experience also helped him cultivate better beans. However, Don Domingo still wasn't getting a fair price for his coffee. To pay for fertilizers, pickers, and other expenses, he had to take out loans, and because local banks and lenders considered his business risky, he had to pay 18 or even 24 percent annual interest.

There's no doubt that much of his hard work and effort went into paying off debts here and there. It wasn't until much later that he decided to change course once again. First, he joined a cooperative, which allowed him to join forces with dozens of other farmers to gain more direct access to the market and get a better price per pound.

Then, he stopped using fertilizers. Not only were they very expensive, but he also couldn't obtain organic certification while using them. Once he had the organic seal, he was able to ask for a premium. His yield dropped slightly, but the quality of the coffee and the better price made it worth the effort.

A little later, around 2019, his sons were old enough and strong enough to start working the land with him. The eldest, Gerson Fabricio, became a member of Cafesmo in 2021, while Don Domingo himself remained a member of another cooperative.

Cafesmo offered the opportunity to prepare microlots, and since Don Domingo's sons were eager to learn, they separated the best lots of their beans, slowly dried them in their yard, and then prepared small batches of high-quality coffee. These batches were very well received, and it was an opportunity for the España family to establish relationships with four different roasters in Europe, as well as with an export company in Honduras, all of whom were eager to work with these excellent lots grown, dried, and prepared by a proud father and his two sons.

Although few things are certain in life, it seems that the future is brighter for the España family than their difficult past.