The coffee lots marketed under Jaime's name are the result of collaboration between him and his father, Fernando Sanchez. Both are smallholder growers based in the small town of Cañalitos, located in the mountains south of Casillas in the Jalapa state.
Fernando grew up with his father and his paternal grandmother, Matea Gonzalez, who lived a life of subsistence farming with a focus on corn, beans, and coffee. In 1970, their farm covered only about 1.2 hectares of land. Fernando married Elva Villalta in 1978, and they had one daughter and two sons, including Jaime. During this period, Fernando dedicated himself to expanding their farm, and from 1995 onward, coffee became their primary source of income.
In 2000, Jaime graduated as an agricultural engineer and returned to the family farm to support their coffee production. He improved productivity by implementing soil conservation techniques, managing water resources, and promoting sustainable agriculture. This included reducing pesticide use, increasing shade, and integrating crops such as banana, macadamia, and avocado.
Despite the challenges they face, Jaime and his family have continued to sell their cherries to local cooperatives or intermediaries for cash rather than investing in post-harvest processing techniques. However, in 2017, Jaime's son, also named Fernando, purchased an ecopulper to begin processing their coffee themselves. They sent various lots for cupping at local laboratories and received positive feedback, which motivated them to improve both their harvest and post-harvest techniques to achieve the highest quality coffee possible.
