Mantra

Alejandro Rodriguez, now in his fifties, planted his first coffee plot at thirteen. The work reached him through two generations, beginning with his grandfather in the community of Volcancito — a region known for sugarcane, where his grandfather was among the first to turn the land over to coffee. His father inherited those first plots, and the family adapted their methods as they went.

The early process was laborious. Seeds were scattered directly onto the soil to germinate, and once the seedlings were ready they were lifted carefully to preserve the roots. Moving those seedlings — pilones — was its own problem: they were wrapped in maguey leaves and carried on horseback to the new plots. Alejandro now teaches his own children the craft.

Beyond farming, he has become a defender of the land. In 2013 he joined the Resistencia of the Xinca people, having become aware of the threat posed by silver mining in the region. By 2015 he and several neighbours had started a community group, Guardians of Nature, committed to protecting their territory through advocacy and action.

In 2024 he began processing a small lot exclusively for export, an endeavour that grew out of his involvement with Café Resistencia. He donated land for the construction of a communal coffee mill and drying tunnels in Volcancito, because falling coffee prices had devastated the community and pushed many young people to migrate to the United States. The Café Colis Resistencia project has helped reverse that, and he is proud of the part he played in it.