Guatemala Las Penas
Pedro Aguilar started his coffee plantation at the young age of twelve, with 7 coffee plants in his parent’s back yard. In his 20’s he decided to take this passion he had for his coffee trees and make it his career – this is when he went from having 7 trees to 400 of them, and then 3,000. With the success of selling his coffee he was then able to double his production only 10
...read more years later to 6,000 and then again to 12,000 by purchasing more land.
His entire life he has been interested and passionate about coffee, and now, at the age of 60 he produces around 400 to 500 quintales (100 pound bags) of parchment coffee. With a whole life invested in coffee – Pedro has many stories to tell, like how he was one of the first coffee producers in the area to have a small hand de-pulper, which then became mechanized with a small diesel engine.
A few years ago, he decided to become Rain Forest Alliance certified. It was then he realized that he had been doing things in accordance to nature long before the customers demanded it. He also participates in all the regional competitions to make sure he is always on his toes when it comes to improving quality. This gives him a clear indication of how he has been working and what he can do to always improve the quality.
Last year, he gifted half of his farm to his two sons. This will help pass down the coffee growing culture and pride that Pedro has embodied throughout his life. They now share a more modern and technically advanced wet mill and have a water treatment plant to make sure they are taking care of the environment for the generations to come.
