About Finca San Andres

Great stories often start with humble beginnings, and this is the case for Iliana Martinez. Growing up, she and her siblings would help her father cultivate coffee beans at farms around her hometown to be able to afford school supplies and basic necessities.

Framing the work as “learning,” Iliana and her siblings found joy in what they did with their father. From looking for the rare “cafe doble,” (coffee plants that have “twin” fruits) for good luck, to eating the sweet black “honey” that would drip onto their hands as they harvested the fruit, every experience was beautiful and fun through her young eyes.

Before going on to start her own farm, Iliana worked as a teacher to disadvantaged children in a rural town in Guatemala. Seeing as most of the students in the area, and their families, worked on coffee farms, this experience translated into gaining an understanding of the socioeconomic and cultural aspects of coffee cultivation, knowledge which she applies in running her farm today. This experience also led to a deep appreciation and valuing of the hard work that farmers put into their craft.

Observing these farmers, farmhands, and their families also highlighted the limited access to capital and technical advice around administration and marketing amongst small scale farmers, issues that she currently advocates for on behalf of farmers in her region, “taking advantage of spaces that allow the voice of producers to be heard and creating awareness and support around valuing the work of farming families,” she said.

Recognizing that Guatemala, and especially the region she lived in, was largely agricultural, she decided to further her education in agriculture by attending university in the United States as a way of gaining knowledge that would better the local agricultural community once she’d returned home. Following her studies, she worked at agricultural businesses for 8 years.

Three of the top values that she took away from her studies and corporate work are:

The helpfulness of having set maintenance and production controls
The necessity of tracking costs
The importance of valuing the hard work of the workers who do hands on cultivation on farms
Intimately understanding her product and its value
Improving the quality of her coffee

Iliana takes pride in setting an example for small farms throughout her region and is energized by the opportunity to give back to the community through her own farm. Her grand vision for her farm includes transforming it into a place where people can take tours to learn about coffee cultivation, as well as serve as a place that brings people together.

Her farm stands out for its use of environmentally friendly practices and fertilizers, artisan and agronomic approaches to harvest, and, most importantly, the high quality specialty coffee it produces.