Sustainable Harvest® Blog

For 15 years, Cora Coronel has played a vital role in shaping Sustainable Harvest’s approach to certifications, compliance, and traceability across our global supply chain. Now, as our Certifications Manager and Global Certifications Manager at Sucafina, she brings clarity and integrity to the complex aspects of the coffee trade, navigating standards, regulations, and industry expectations. 

In this Q&A, Cora shares her journey from being a law student in Oaxaca, Mexico, to leading global certification systems, the unexpected way she entered the world of coffee, and the challenges she sees across the industry. She also reflects on what sets Sustainable Harvest apart and why certifications require far more than just a seal. 

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Sustainable Harvest (SH): Let’s start with you. What’s your background like? And how did you arrive at Sustainable Harvest? 

Cora Coronel (CC): I was born in Oaxaca City, my childhood was very free: lots of sports, dance, ballet. And I’ve always loved reading, so when it came time to choose a career, it was tough, because a lot of what I wanted to study wasn’t supported at home. I ended up studying law, as I have a very clear ethical and moral compass, but practicing law never really aligned with who I am. 

What I did love about law was research. Understanding the “why” behind things. I think that’s why certifications fit me so well, even though I landed here by accident. 

I joined Sustainable Harvest in 2011. Oscar, my husband and SH’s Chief Technology Officer, was moving from Oaxaca to the U.S. and I came in doing simple things at first, like organizing the company’s massive, chaotic photo archive, then small research projects.  

At the time, the person in charge of certifications decided to retire. She trained me for one week, left, and the following week I had my first audit. It was very much “jump in and swim.” 

What I like about certifications is the structure. It’s a set of rules, clear, specific. There’s no room for shortcuts. That aligns with me! 

SH: And what made you fall in love with the certifications are? 

CC: Certifications are misunderstood. People love talking about certifications – importers, roasters, everyone. But when it comes to actually implementing a system, that’s where things get complicated. 

And the work never stops. Even regulations like the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aren’t certifications, require deep technical interpretation. There are gray areas, and understanding them takes time. Certifications aren’t just “apply the rule.” They’re “read, understand, contextualize, and implement.” 

Audits can be quite labor-intensive, but when they are properly carried out, the process goes smoothly. For us, RITS – our Relationship Inventory and Tracking System, has been essential. Over the years I’ve worked closely with the team to adapt it to every certification. That’s why we can pass audits so effectively. 

SH:  Before returning to certifications, you were deeply involved in logistics. How did that transition happen?  

CC:  It was accidental. The person managing logistics went on maternity leave, and I was asked to support temporarily. At that time, we had fewer shipments, and RITS wasn’t what it is today; we had to do lots of manual work. 

They eventually asked me to stay as support. Later, when the logistics manager left, I took over the full role, still also supporting certifications. Eventually, I became Logistics and Certifications Manager. 

In 2023, Sucafina offered me the Global Certifications role. I accepted, stepped back from operations, but then the SH Operations Manager left, and I covered both areas for nearly a year. Now I’m 100% focused on certifications again. 

Beyond managing Sustainable Harvest’s certifications, I’m also part of global implementation projects: EUDR, IMPACT (Sucafina’s Responsible Sourcing Program), pesticide databases, carbon footprint work and some other Sucafina systems. 

SH: What do you enjoy the most about your job?  

CC: Logistics and operations are extremely stressful. At this point in my life, I prefer peace and predictability. Operations is like trying to tame a zebra: it will never happen, and you’re constantly dealing with emergencies, hurricanes, port closures, and delays. It’s firefighting all day. 

Certifications fit who I am: analytical, detail-oriented, curious. I love reading, understanding systems, digging into nuance and challenging incorrect assumptions. 

One of the most satisfying moments is proving an auditor wrong (laughs.)  

SH: What's the biggest challenge in certifications that you wish more people understood? 

CC: The biggest challenge is helping people understand that implementing a certification requires commitment. It’s not “a seal.” It’s work: systems, training, governance, audits, reporting, improvements. 

Producers know this better than anyone. Many have dropped certifications because they aren’t sustainable for them, as they require too much labor and investment on their side.  

 Roasters often assume implementation is easy because their requirements are light, like paying a license fee for Fair Trade. Meanwhile, traders and producers must demonstrate price, premium, use of premium, contracts, governance structures… completely different obligations. 

 The hardest part is when roasters say, “I want this certification now,” and they only want one container. A producer cannot adopt a whole certification system for one shipment or one season. 

It’s simply not sustainable. 

SH: Having worked with the company for so long, what do you think truly sets Sustainable Harvest apart? 

CC: In many ways, Sustainable Harvest is the blueprint for what certifications now try to formalize: long-term, stable relationships based on trust. Nearly every certification seeks that stability, economic and relational. 

But we’ve done it since the beginning. We’ve been buying from groups in Latin America for 20 years. We know our partners deeply, their strengths, their needs, which helps us match them with the right buyers. 

That long-term trust is exactly what certifications aim to encourage. 

 Certifications have provided stability, yes, but no standard on its own guarantees a living income. That’s a long-term effort with many challenges. But Sustainable Harvest has always had that “extra something”: real commitment to kindness, relationships, and long-term sustainability. 

 Sustainable Harvest is thoughtful, relationship-driven, people-driven. We’re playing a different kind of music!  

SH: The last question! After so many years in coffee, do you have a favorite coffee or origin? 

CC: I do! There’s a roaster that I love in my hometown, Portland, Oregon!  They have a pink bourbon with a 48-hour anaerobic fermentation that I adore. 

I also love a Geishas from Colombia. I’m drawn to floral, fruit-forward coffees and light-to-medium roasts. In general, Colombia is my favorite origin right now when it comes to processed and experimental profiles. The innovation happening there is incredible. 

But the first time I ever tasted mango notes in a coffee was actually in a coffee from Oaxaca, which was a special moment for me.