DIARY OF A GROWER

One of my favorite memories at Finca Vista Hermosa is from about 20 years ago. We decided to build another home on our farm in Guatemala, as the original one had barely survived the 1975 earthquake. My father and I laid bricks for the new house using a plumb-line to ensure it was a true straight wall. Not long after completion, we had a small family reunion. These can get big when your grandfather is one of 18 kids. We crammed into the attic of our new one-bedroom house with about half a dozen of our cousins, where we slept in our sleeping bags like canned sardines and we told stories until late in the night, only to wake up early the next morning to build entire villages with underground tunnels for our GI Joes.
     It’s amazing now to realize that our desecrated house from the earthquake is still standing solid to this day—it just looks like it’s going to fall down any second. Unlike that old house, which doesn’t seem to have changed much in 20 years, a lot of other things have changed on the farm, including the wet mill, which has probably been redesigned half a dozen times. And I’ve changed too, I know: I don’t hunt tadpoles at the creeks or play with GI Joes any more…as much.
     However, one thing has remained the same at Finca Vista Hermosa: The constant effort to cultivate an atmosphere that gives and asks for truthful feedback. It is an important part of basic communication in any relationship. We continue to invest in many friendships, including those with growers, local brokers and coyotes we used to work with, and we have often been able to give each other a hand over the years. We give feedback, support, but most of all we give that rare commodity known as honesty. Without true honesty, we’ve found that a relationship you build today is not worth much tomorrow.
     Good relationships with honest feedback don’t by any means define great coffees, but the two somehow seem to gravitate towards each other. So, as part of a plan to improve our coffees and our farm, I decided to get some feedback from people I respect and have had the privilege to develop relationships with.
     Earlier this year, I interviewed some of the most talented cuppers I know, cuppers who also feel relationships are key to sustainable quality. I started with Humberto Tahuite, who manages the dry mill we work with in Huehuetenango. He has worked with very large multi-national companies in many countries as well as small estates as a cupper and grader of coffees. Each year, I give him an assortment of the newest Hot Wheels for his collection as a thank you for the personal attention that he gives us. Together, we enjoy cupping each lot of our coffee alongside the very best I can find in all of Huehuetenango.
     This year, I decided to put him on the spot in front of seven customers that came down to spend a week with us at Vista Hermosa. I asked him, “What is your favorite coffee?” Of course, all he had to say was Finca Vista Hermosa…and everyone would have been happy. But his response left us all somewhat thirsty for more and rightly so.
     “I couldn’t possibly play favorites and say that a certain coffee is the best, or that a certain coffee is bad, knowing how much work goes into producing it,” Tahuite said.
     He calls it as it is. If it is defective, he offers steps to determine why and suggests a remedy for the problem. If it is not defective, he still reports his observations exactly as they are. His professionalism and objective approach to evaluating coffees is always refreshing as it is both neutral and accurate. No hype, no marketing ploys and no emotion mixed into fancy descriptive words.
     The second person I approached is an old acquaintance, with whom I had the privilege of cupping hundreds of defective coffees so we could properly identify defects. Eduardo Ambrocio is the head cupper for Anacafé, and you can’t pull the wool over his eyes in a blind cupping. His response to my question was, “Each coffee has unique attributes that are a good match for someone somewhere and it would not be fair to compare and rank them without criteria.”
     Obviously still looking for someone to say “Your coffee is the best, Edwin!” I made a third and final attempt. This time I asked Norman Kilmon at The Roasterie. He’s been roasting in the U.S. longer than I’ve been alive, and he happened to give us a 93 rating on a sample along with the most comprehensive and meaningful feedback we have ever received from a roaster. For starters, it included a report of moisture content, screen size break down by percentages, density and a defect score of 0. It gives me much incentive to invest more into a relationship when a customer can tell me how and why they value what we have to offer and not just take it for granted. Kilmon rattled off the attributes he liked on half a dozen other coffees, none of which were ours. His only comment on Huehues was, “Yeah, they’re one of my favorites, but they just aren’t what they used to be 20 years ago…” I passed on commenting what I was up to 20 years ago.
     Although I had already received the highest praises for our coffee from these individuals, their struggle to give a simple straightforward answer displayed their passion and depth of appreciation for diverse qualities. It is easier to say that you prefer one coffee over another than to say one is better than another. And as a professional in any industry, one’s opinion can easily be misunderstood and interpreted as fact. Especially with all the speculation that exists in commodities.
     When you realize that, for most growers, producing the coffee you consume is their one and only chance at a livelihood, it changes your perspective. This is why it is so rewarding when you do find a coffee you just fall in love with, because it is so worthwhile to invest in developing a meaningful relationship. When you look at auctions such as the Cup Of Excellence, the difference between the first and last place is minimal…as in many events in the Olympics, where the difference between first and last is a few seconds, or parts of a second. If a coffee has made it that far, it should be exceptional. Quality does not happen by accident or overnight. And while “cheaper” coffees may not fetch premiums, they should carry a fair price that reflects their intrinsic value. This includes 1.4 million pounds of coffee auctioned off this summer for pennies on the dollar because it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
     I’m pleased to see more roasters making stronger commitments to coffees they like and value as a quality coffee. Not just paying more for a story or for a certification, but for inherent quality. To me, the word commitment describes a relationship, not a transaction. Honest feedback is the oil that keeps the relationship running efficiently and constantly encourages improvements in every area, including quality.
     When I think of a relationship with a good friend, I think of someone I enjoy spending time with, someone who shares similar interests, someone who I would go out of my way for, someone who I value and respect and who feels the same way about me. Someone who will hold me accountable and be transparent with me. The tough reality is that the number of good relationships one can have are limited because honest feedback takes guts and it takes time.
     I’ve learned that even if quality is not present in the beginning, it can potentially emerge and be the fruit of a good relationship. The reverse is also true. I’ve seen some nice coffees deteriorate as they are damaged by lack of feedback in the relationship, with over-rated pricing that is primarily charitable and not demanding quality.
     It’s like a wife who asks her husband, “Honey, do these pants make my butt look big?” Now you can be charitable and nice, or you can choose to tell the truth, hopefully in a constructive and productive manner. Luckily for me, my response is both one and the same. But in most relationships in the coffee world, just as in any other relationship in life, it’s rarely that simple. Even with the perfect match it still requires much effort, communication and commitment.
     I’m sure every roaster reading this only roasts the top one percent of the coffees in the world so I’m just preaching to the choir. However, if you genuinely have a commitment to certain standards or level of quality, then the businesses you partner up with should too. Otherwise you’re just spinning your wheels being nice. The only benefit to this potential short-term profit is instant artificial gratification. In the long run, it’s good for nothing but fluff.
     Okay, so you really want to practice your “plumb-line skills” and give some feedback? Please do. Drop me a line and keep me in line. Just don’t tell me what I want to hear, even if it’s, “Your coffee is the best, Edwin.” Unless you really mean it.

     Until next time,

     Edwin Martinez

EDWIN DAVID MARTINEZ is a third-generation coffee grower who was raised in Guatemala. He has worked in every link of the coffee chain, from growing to retail. Edwin and his wife, Nina, both live and work between Guatemala and Washington state. He can be reached at
edwin@fincavistahermosa.