Roberto and Alexander Lemus

I am very proud of my work and also very happy in Santa Teresa, where I was born and have always lived.

Many people move to towns and cities, or even to the United States, but I would never do that. In fact, a good portion of our land belongs to a brother of mine who lives in the United States, but I'm the one who grows coffee on it.

I was born to be a coffee farmer and started working with my father when I was very young. Luckily, I hated going to school and was much happier in the countryside, at least as much then as I am now. When I reached adulthood, I was able to manage my own land and, later, my brother's as well, when he decided to move out.

Sometimes I also work other jobs during the off-season for a few months. It's nice to have some variety, and it also provides extra income. My wife and I have three sons who will be starting elementary school in 2022, so we need additional income to pay for their uniforms, books, and notebooks.

Although I was glad I didn't have to go to school for many years when I was young, I'm very happy that my own children are in school, and my wife and I work hard to give them the best education possible. We are very aware that, in today's world, it is incredibly important to read and write well and to know how to use modern technologies, such as computers and the internet.

For me, that's not so relevant anymore. I know how to use my mobile phone and how to find information about coffee and the coffee market, and that's all I need. Most of the time, I work in the fields, cultivating the land. Keeping it clean, weeding, trimming the plants, fertilizing with dried husks from the previous harvest, and, of course, picking the beans when they're ripe. During harvest season, we hire help because my brother and I, together, own a little over 5 hectares of land. It's too much for me to manage alone.

Fortunately, I've acquired the knowledge to prepare microlots, which helps me increase the average price per pound I can charge for my coffees. Most of the coffee is sold as premium with SCA scores ranging from 81 to 83, and a smaller, but still substantial, portion is good enough to be separated into small lots with SCA scores around 86.

In the coming years, I plan to increase the portion that can be prepared as specialty coffee. It's a bit like insurance for the (many...) years when international coffee prices are low, because the specialty market is considerably less sensitive to these price fluctuations. Hopefully, I'll be able to connect with some roasters with whom I can establish a stable, long-term relationship.