Yony ​​Santos, Finca La Casita

I'm Yony, a young and very enthusiastic coffee farmer. In 2019, I started working my own land, which is about 1.5 hectares, but I'm a third-generation farmer, so I've had experience growing coffee since I was a child. In 2020, I decided to renovate my farm, replacing all the old plants with new ones that are more resistant to coffee rust and planted in a way that would increase yield.

I also work at Cafesmo, where I'm the plant manager. So I process a lot of coffee. Large batches that we ship by container and often dry mechanically, but also smaller batches of specialty grades. When producers bring in their coffee, I separate the best batches to process as specialty batches for our cooperative.

It's thanks to my work at Cafesmo that I became so interested in renovating my farm and obtaining the best quality coffee from all the coffee I grow. When I started, my more experienced colleagues taught me better techniques and practices, which I now use on my own farm, but which I also share with my family and, of course, with everyone else at Cafesmo.

There are also trees on the property. Quite a few pine trees, as they are part of our local habitat and provide plenty of shade and nutrients. But also fruit trees like mangoes and plums. My wife and our dogs often come to the property with me. It's a very peaceful place, especially on Sundays, when the pace is slower and we have fewer obligations.

At the edge of our land, there's a stream where the dogs like to swim or drink, and which also provides water for our plants during the dry season. Sometimes we go to the farm to relax, because working there isn't stressful, at least outside of peak harvest season. My parents help me when I'm too busy with my job at Cafesmo, thankfully. Without them, I don't think my wife and I could do all the work, at least not in the way the farm deserves to be treated.

Although coffee is a big part of my life and I love it, I almost became a professional footballer. I played at a high level for our regional club and nearly made the national team. Anyway, I still play often in the evenings after work or on Sundays. It keeps me young and strong and, perhaps even more importantly, it's where I meet up and hang out with my friends.

My hope is to be able to prepare microbatches for international roasters, starting in the 2025/26 season. I'm sure you'll hear more from me in the near future.