It was mid February, 2020 that we drove up a dusty bumpy road to meet Petrona at her home in the high mountains of Jacaltenango in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. Our exporter and partner Nadine from Primavera Coffee was excited for us to meet this exciting, young talented coffee producer.
Petrona Perez and her mother manage their small 5 acre farm in the highlands of San Antonio Huista, serving as one of the most effective and powerful examples of a women’s role in coffee.
The farm Finca Satchibal was established in 2002, and after Petrona’s father left to seek work outside Guatemala the mother and daughter team were left to manage the farm themselves, it is a source of pride for Petrona and is her family’s primary means of survival. Her mother’s dedication to making a better life for their family was visible in everything she did, and this effort is what has made the farm successful. As soon as she was old enough, Petrona fully committed to helping her and took charge of the farm. They see to every step of the coffee process, from picking the cherries, to processing and delivering them to the exporters warehouse.
The area they grow the coffee benefits from the dry, hot winds that blow across the border from Mexico, and coupled with very high altitude, they manage to produce some of the most unique tasting coffee of the region.
Petrona’s commitment and drive to improve and learn every aspect of the coffee production process led her to the door of our exporter, and it was then that she delivered a coffee sample and boastfully commented that her coffee was one of the best in the region, which proved correct later when it was cupped at the lab.
Even though their farm is very small, and does not have the luxury of larger mills in the area, they have great pride in what they do, and their meticulous attention to detail serves as an example that with little you too can do great things. The name Satchibal translates to “the fruit of the tree” and the farm serves as their fruits of their labour and determination not only to produce quality coffee, but also rise up as two independent women.
Our meeting with Petrona and her mother resulted in us making a commitment to purchase her entire coffee production and set a platform to support her development as a coffee producer, in partnership with Primavera. We hope with our continued support in purchasing Petrona’s coffee, we can see her have financial stability, for her and her family, and set goals for the future.