About Finca San Antonio Amatepec

For generations, coffee has been part of Daniella’s story. She recalls how the love for coffee was instilled in her and her sisters. However, as they grew older, their lives took different paths that took them apart from the family farm. Their father didn’t involve them much in the coffee business due to the stigma that this industry is mostly run by men.

All of that changed when the farm started facing serious financial struggles. A moment of crisis became a tipping point to do things differently. Beyond prejudice, Daniella took the challenge to get the business afloat as her own. Right then and there, it didn't matter how much she knew about the industry or that she was a woman in a man's world. The only thing that mattered was getting ahead of such a difficult time and saving the family’s patrimony. As she started to get more and more into the coffee business, she fell in love with it, and with the help of her sisters, they started trying to make it profitable.

Daniella’s father bought the farms in the seventies, and before that, the land used to be a construction rock extraction site, which meant it was completely deforested. With much effort, her father started planting several trees, including coffee trees: Bourbon and Pacas. Throughout the years, that stone-grey area blossomed into the coffee forest it is today.

Currently, Finca San Antonio Amatepec, located in San Salvador, is one of the city’s lungs. The farm, which has volcanic soil, it's a perfect mix between the rural and the city, remaining as one of the few places left that care to preserve the city's forests. Because of their strong responsibility to preserve the environment, they were certified by Rainforest Alliance, a symbol of shared responsibility and collective action. Beyond making coffee, what makes this farm so special is the commitment with preserving the forest and the balance with wildlife.

Not only does the farm preserve the environment, but it also helps improve the quality of life of the people working there, especially women. The farm believes in the potential of empowered women and the transformation that they can make to the industry if they get involved in coffee just like Daniella and her two sisters did.

Daniella has found a home in coffee and feels completely committed and in love with what she does. She told us one of her favorite things is taking the first sip from her cup of coffee. She never stops marvelling over that feeling. For her, tasting her coffee reminds her of a hard-working year, a labour which was possible thanks to all the people who are a part of the coffee value chain and the role they play in making this final product a reality.

Coffee has given Daniella lessons on patience, perseverance and how even if you make mistakes along the way, you should learn from them and never give up. The key rests on learning and improving continuously.

Finally, another important lesson she has learned is the sense of community, especially among women. She has discovered an amazing female network that has motivated her to persist in the industry.

In the future, Daniella and her sisters have goals such as producing more coffee in the farm, improving cupping’s scores every year, installing a milling facility, having their own roasting machine, and having a coffee brand on their own.

Finca San Antonio Amatepec is an example of empowerment, sense of community and transformation. With passion, perseverance and hard work any paradigm that holds us back can be overcome.