Jesús Humberto Mena, Fincas El Peñón and Las Brisas

It's a good way to maintain my health and energy, and I also like the fact that I'm producing something tangible, something I can see and even drink. My wife and I take our beans to the small town of Mercedes, where someone roasts them for us, and we drink our own reliable and delicious coffee year-round.

However, my wife doesn't work the land with me. She's the lady of the house and cooks for the pickers during the harvest. And when there are no pickers, I go home every day to share a meal with her. We live a stone's throw from our farm.

We have six children, but they've all traveled to the United States, one after the other, in search of a better life, and now they're all gone. It's a harsh and painful truth; I don't like to talk about it. But I think about them every day. In the area where I live, we don't have internet or cell phone service, so it's also difficult to talk to them.

I'm so glad I joined Cafesmo because the quality of my coffee has improved remarkably. Jaime, the agronomist at Cafesmo, has given me a lot of advice. The prices have also become more attractive, especially thanks to the Fair Trade and Organic certifications I now have. I also attended two days of workshops at Cafesmo to learn how to prepare specialty coffees, but I haven't produced any microlots yet. I don't think I have all the necessary knowledge yet, and I also can't find enough time during peak season when I have a million other things to do. But who knows what the future holds!