Carlos Cadena

“I represent the fifth generation of coffee growers in my family. In fact, it was my father who began to remake conventional commodity coffee farming in his own image and slowly began to transform the family farm. From replanting, to planting new varieties, to pruning the coffee trees. I didn’t get a glimpse into my parents’ coffee business until after I finished my bachelor’s degree, when I returned to the farm.

In 2012, I started participating in the Taza Excelencia Mexico competition, where I placed 6th. That was a big turning point for me and a new revolution came. We started researching varieties and experimenting with new processes. What followed was a thorough sorting and identification of all our fields and sorting the lots according to what processing suited what. We are still learning about coffee. I took one of the courses on coffee processing at Finca Chelín. As far as competing, we’re continuing with that and aiming higher. In 2023, I won 3rd place at the Cup of Excellence with a blend of Gesha and Pacamara.

My grandfather acquired the farm around 1950, then he died suddenly and my mother, who was very young, took over the reins. With my grandfather’s death came a lot of difficult situations. My mother took over the farm in its original state and continued the traditional way of farming. She kept the varieties already planted, such as Typica. When my parents got together, my father took over the family farming. I subsequently started separating the varieties and changing the coffee processing practices. I believe the Typica from this particular farm is very special and different because of its unique flavor profile. It is a very stable floral flavor that is both sweet and balanced.  Our farm is on the edge of a ravine, the soil is soft and airy, it also rains a lot and the ravine is surrounded by many trees such as Jinicuil and Pahua.”