Johel Monge Naranjo
How long have you been growing coffee and what got you started?
“My father was a coffee grower and he taught all of his children to work from a very young age, thanks to him I got started in the cultivation of coffee. Today I am 76 years old and for as long as I can remember we have grown coffee.”
What is your favorite part of growing coffee?
“The favorite part is watching the little plants growing. And now that we process our berries, it is to enjoy the whole process from sowing to enjoying a delicious cup of coffee from our farm.”
Conversely, what is the hardest part of your job?
“The hardest part is controlling the pests and diseases that affect coffee plants.”
What is unique about how you grow and harvest coffee?
“What is special about our way of growing coffee is the love we have for it. Not only because we have lived with it all our lives, but also because our coffee plantation has given us sustenance for our families and we are always learning to take care of the details in its production.”
What are your plans to continue improving quality?
“We are always trying to keep up to date with advances in new agronomic management practices, as well as special attention to our coffee varieties and new milling processes, looking forward to adapt to environmental and commercial changes, seeking to improve every day in order to maintain quality and good production in our plantation.”