Rosa Romero, El Piñalito Farm

Coffee trees would be a more fitting name, they were that large. Our father had a small plot of land where he grew coffee that required hardly any work or maintenance. The beans grew back year after year, and all that was needed was to pull the weeds now and then.

When our father died, my brothers and I took over, and as the eldest, I assumed responsibility for our small farm. Besides coffee, we grew corn, beans, and other crops, mainly to feed the family.

Later, when I was a young adult, I married my husband, who was also a coffee producer. We have always worked together, and I mainly take care of the pickers during the high season, weeding and keeping the land tidy and clean, and coordinating all the different aspects of the work together.

Several of my adult children live in the United States, so my children who are still here and I also take care of their farms because they can't do it themselves. Some of the children say I shouldn't go to the farms too often or for too long anymore because they're afraid I'll fall or slip, but I disagree. I've been walking on that land for over half a century, and I know every square inch better than they do.

What I also really enjoy is drying and preparing the coffee. It has to be said that it's a bit more leisurely than the hard work on the farm itself during the harvest season, and I can do it closer to home. Half a century ago, in the seventies, my father always kept a few sacks of coffee that he prepared "naturally," which wasn't very common back then, but I liked the natural flavor profiles best, and I still do.

Today, coffee preparations are much more controlled, consistent, and homogeneous. Fortunately, my children help me stay up-to-date on new practices to ensure we remain aligned with the evolving preferences of our partner roasters. One of my sons is Roy Hernández, a partner producer at Cafesmo, who has been selling his coffees to roasters in Europe, Asia, and the Americas for years.

And while coffee is incredibly important in my life, it's not the only thing that matters. I love sharing as much as I can with my children who live in the United States. We video chat, I tell them the latest news from our town and about their siblings, nieces, and nephews, and that also allows me to feel closer to them. I also really enjoy cooking. Preparing a meal for my loved ones on Sundays, or in the evening after a hard day's work in the fields, keeps us united and at peace as a family.