The Profile

Medardo Vallejo is 64 years old. He lives on his farm with his wife, Emilse Contreras, and their seven sons. Of their 35 hectares, 11 are planted with 40,000 Caturra, Colombia, Castillo, and Tabi coffee trees. Medardo has had his farm for over 40 years and has always looked to coffee as a way of sustaining his family and himself. He and his sons are in charge of everything from cultivation, maintenance, to the harvest. They additionally employ four local people year-round, and up to 12 during the harvest season.

Since Medardo and his family have so much extra acreage, they go out of their way to care for it. He doesn’t dig into the mountainside, or construct any building that isn’t absolutely necessary. He and his family do not use any pesticides, burn any non-organic materials, and keep weed clearing to a minimum to promote a biodiverse environment both for his luscious coffee trees to the multitude of botany that calls his property home. By adopting these values and practices, he hopes to pass his legacy onto his sons.