Elder Yovani Falla González is a teacher by profession, and a coffee producer by passion. Based in Aldea El Mirador, a young coffee-growing community in Zacapa, Elder inherited his first plot from his father and later purchased a second one. Elder’s father was one of the first producers in the region to begin cultivating coffee- he was supported by a local NGO, and had to sell them coffee cherries for many years to repay the initial loan to purchase the land. Elder also has a similar trailblazing spirit- he is one of very few people in the region who processes his own cherry into parchment, bringing his own de-pulper to the municipal wet mill to use their tanks, channels, and drying infrastructure. He started a small cooperative in 2024- La Sierra de las Minas. There are 44 producers, but there are only 10 farms in production- the rest are waiting for their seedlings to begin producing more volume.

Elder’s coffee is a family affair- since we told him that we needed to purchase a minimum of 10 qq of parchment, he processed coffee from his plots and processed cherry from his father, brother, and father-in-law as well. Elder’s wife Marlyn keeps records about the lots and their drying, and their eleven year old- the oldest of three children- knows exactly when the coffee is dry, and helps to manage the drying process.
This year, Elder placed 7th in Guatemala’s Cup of Excellence with a washed coffee lot.

FARM MANAGEMENT
Elder grows coffee under diverse shade trees like kuje, gravilea, cedar, pine, avocado, and citrus. He interplants with banana, cardamom, lemon, and níspero to diversify income and improve soil health, and he intentionally leaves plants as a ground cover to retain moisture in the soils. He’s prioritized the tree canopy, soil health, and biodiversity- and his long-term vision includes building a solar dryer, upgrading equipment, and expanding the multiple nurseries that he manages.

PROCESSING
Elder and his family members all pick ripe cherries on the same day, and bring the cherries straight to the municipal wet mill where it’s de-pulped on the same day. From there, the coffee is left to ferment in the open tanks without water for 30-48 hours. The coffee is washed using the mill’s channels to remove under- and over-ripe cherries. The coffee is left to drip dry on the patio. Depending on available space, sometimes they bring the coffee down to his house, or his wife’s family’s home.

SOURCING
This year, we paid Elder 2,200 Quetzales per quintal (100 pounds of parchment) for three lots of coffee. Elder arranged delivery of the coffee to our chosen mill, to whom we pay milling and export fees separately.