Ninety-Three Years of Coffee Experience
At 93 years old, María Antonia Estrada embodies perseverance. For more than 18 years, she has been a member of Cooperativa Cafetalera Sanmarqueña Ltd., or COCASAM, a small group of coffee producers in the Choluteca region of southern Honduras. With her slight frame, angular features, and dignified manners, María Antonia has a grandmotherly presence. During a recent visit with Sustainable Harvest staff, she told stories of her farm and her cooperative that revealed a remarkable tenacity and dedication to the work of her life: growing coffee.
Clutching her thin hands together in her lap, María Antonia spoke of the terrifying onset of Hurricane Mitch, which struck Central America with devastating force in 1998. As mist turned into rain and rain transformed into downpour, María Antonia and her neighbors prayed for their safety. She was forced to flee her home, and yet she returned, repaired her house, and replanted her coffee with help from the cooperative. Today, María Antonia continues to cultivate organic coffee. She regularly attends meetings and trainings offered by COCASAM, where she broadens her already extensive knowledge of coffee production.
María Antonia explained, “Estoy contenta porque aquí me atienden. Aunque soy una viejecita pobre, aquí me atienden.” (I am happy here because they attend to me. Although I am only a poor old lady, here they still help me). María Antonia has a deep understanding of the connection between the care she puts into her coffee, the price she earns for it, and the respect afforded to her by cooperative members because of her strength and experience.
Although she has grown coffee for decades, María Antonia had never met any of the buyers of her coffee until a recent trip by Sustainable Harvest staff to COCASAM. When María Antonia was introduced to one of the roasters who purchases her coffee, her face lit up with a grin of excitement. Now she knows personally the people who appreciate her attention to quality.