Interview Finalist Cup of Excellence 2020
• Name and Last Name: Manuel de Jesus Herrera Alfaro
• Age: 38 years old.
• Cooperative: 15 de Septiembre
• Farm Name: El Zapote
• Coffee Area:
• Variety Catimor, caturra y marsellesa
• Under shade. What kind of shade: Sombra. Guaba, cedro, aguacate, Guineos, sapotes, sapotillo,
• Organic / Conventional: Organic
• Farm history / family / why the name of the farm? My farm is called El Zapote because it has many trees of zapote.
• How did your history with coffee start?:
That is what is grown in this area. At the age of 20 I started with two manzanas and then with the same coffee production I was buying more land. My first two manzanas have been a blessing, my family and I have always liked this world, and we still continue to live for this, to produce coffee.
We have been repopulating with different trees to have this environment that we have here, before it was only combined with the banana trees.
When you grow coffee, it's not about peeling the soil, it's about taking care of it and protecting it
Coffee is the cup of Nicaraguans is the first thing we do in the morning because otherwise we are not well.
• Age: 38 years old.
• Cooperative: 15 de Septiembre
• Farm Name: El Zapote
• Coffee Area:
• Variety Catimor, caturra y marsellesa
• Under shade. What kind of shade: Sombra. Guaba, cedro, aguacate, Guineos, sapotes, sapotillo,
• Organic / Conventional: Organic
• Farm history / family / why the name of the farm? My farm is called El Zapote because it has many trees of zapote.
• How did your history with coffee start?:
That is what is grown in this area. At the age of 20 I started with two manzanas and then with the same coffee production I was buying more land. My first two manzanas have been a blessing, my family and I have always liked this world, and we still continue to live for this, to produce coffee.
We have been repopulating with different trees to have this environment that we have here, before it was only combined with the banana trees.
When you grow coffee, it's not about peeling the soil, it's about taking care of it and protecting it
Coffee is the cup of Nicaraguans is the first thing we do in the morning because otherwise we are not well.
The crop is visited from time to time by one, thus realizing what it needs. It is to give attention, to the pruning for example, the chapias, to have it very clean. Be aware of it.
I make the Era and then I dig if I see that the ground is bad I bring the ground from another side to put the coffee stick, there are places that are not so good, You learn over time.
You live in love with coffee, with the farm you own. We dedicate ourselves to this, so we put our minds to it.
• What do you think of the cup of excellence program? Have you participated before / What do you think about participating?
It's my first time participating in the Cup of Excellence, but it's a great thing. We are asking God to take it out. It is a step that Im taking for my coffee and the good of my family.
I am proud to be in the cup of excellence, we are going to ask God to keep it that way. It would be a great thing for me and my family.
• Why your coffee is a quality coffee? What do you have to say for the customers?
If you are looking for quality, here you have found it. We have quality, it is already proven. We have good points for the soils that thanks to God is good to produce. My coffee is proven to be quality. I am very happy to be a finalist in the cup of excellence and I feel that I will work better to give it more love so I can have better quality in the coming years.
It is good that they buy a coffee like this that is quality, because it also comes with a good for everyone, the community, the people who work with you and for our family. Because for example if we sell it cheap, I have to tell those people who work here with me that there is no job because I cannot pay them. I am a small producer and what we sell is quality, I am PRODECOOP. You feel happy selling your coffee at a good price, because in coffee there is a lot to do, you grow more, you are more motivated, you are happy. Coffee takes a lot of expense and when there is no good price we become demoralized, is no useful to have a large land if the price of coffee is low, is no useful to produce quality and quantity if nothing is going to be done, we are discouraged with a low price because is not even enough to maintain the coffee itself . If we do not have a good price we do not have money to invest.
I make the Era and then I dig if I see that the ground is bad I bring the ground from another side to put the coffee stick, there are places that are not so good, You learn over time.
You live in love with coffee, with the farm you own. We dedicate ourselves to this, so we put our minds to it.
• What do you think of the cup of excellence program? Have you participated before / What do you think about participating?
It's my first time participating in the Cup of Excellence, but it's a great thing. We are asking God to take it out. It is a step that Im taking for my coffee and the good of my family.
I am proud to be in the cup of excellence, we are going to ask God to keep it that way. It would be a great thing for me and my family.
• Why your coffee is a quality coffee? What do you have to say for the customers?
If you are looking for quality, here you have found it. We have quality, it is already proven. We have good points for the soils that thanks to God is good to produce. My coffee is proven to be quality. I am very happy to be a finalist in the cup of excellence and I feel that I will work better to give it more love so I can have better quality in the coming years.
It is good that they buy a coffee like this that is quality, because it also comes with a good for everyone, the community, the people who work with you and for our family. Because for example if we sell it cheap, I have to tell those people who work here with me that there is no job because I cannot pay them. I am a small producer and what we sell is quality, I am PRODECOOP. You feel happy selling your coffee at a good price, because in coffee there is a lot to do, you grow more, you are more motivated, you are happy. Coffee takes a lot of expense and when there is no good price we become demoralized, is no useful to have a large land if the price of coffee is low, is no useful to produce quality and quantity if nothing is going to be done, we are discouraged with a low price because is not even enough to maintain the coffee itself . If we do not have a good price we do not have money to invest.
