Behind Finca El Corozo: An Exclusive with Fernando Lima
Tom, our head of coffee, recently went on a remarkable trip to El Salvador alongside Clifton Coffee. While there, he had the privilege of sitting down with our dedicated farmer, Fernando Lima. As always, grab your favourite KIN+ILK coffee and enjoy!
“Fernando and I had an interview about his life in coffee and what makes him tick. Tried to keep it super informal and light-hearted. He is a wonderful man who welcomed me not only to his farm but into his home. I have learnt a great deal from him about coffee production, El Salvador and also his mentality towards life.
Tom:
So yeah, thanks for doing this, Fernando. It's really nice to meet you today as well. The first question, why coffee? I know you said that your family have been farming for generations, but if you could give a little bit of context to that, maybe a time scale for us?
Fernando:
My family have been in coffee farming for 150 years or so.
Coffee wasn't a big industry like today at that time. I mean, 100-150 years ago. So, lots of families have coffee farms but it wasn’t sustainable at this time to just be a coffee farmer. A lot of coffee farmers were like doctors or engineers or whatever and coffee would be their second business. This coffee culture has grown massively, it keeps going and going over years and years. So now it can be the main focus and a solo business. Over time things have changed a little bit but coffee was always in the family.
Tom:
How long have you been farming yourself?
Fernando:
I can say that I have been working on a coffee farm since I was 12 years old. I was more active after 15 years old, getting some experience until now and I am 60. So this is 40 years. More. Almost 45 years!
Tom:
What keeps it interesting for you? What keeps you coming back every day?
Fernando:
That's a good question! Even though I’m an engineer. I worked as an engineer when I graduated. For me coffee farming, it's like a passion. I mean, it was something I was born into and it is natural to me. You go to the coffee plantation and you sense within that this is where you belong. And so it's something very like automatic I am drawn to it. Of course I like, I love nature! If you keep me in the office all day I want to go crazy. So I like being the middle of the forest. So it's something that's inside me. I like to see the plants and I know what they need. So yeah, things you can touch, things you can taste, being outdoors.
Also there are always new challenges. I think in the coffee industry things have changed so much, the technology has changed so much and so quickly. You need to find a new way to expose your coffee. To get your coffee out there. It's very difficult for a roaster or coffee buyer to buy your coffee if they don't know your history. It's very difficult for us if you don't go and show them or invite them. So the industry have to be more like bonded, relationships are important. I think that's something that I learnt the last 15 years is to form more relationships and work more closely to buyers and roasters. So it is people also that keep me interested.
Tom:
Have you got any goals for the future, anything that really stands out that you would like to achieve?
Fernando:
Really good question! I haven't really ever been driven by goals as such. The things I have achieved have been a natural progression for me. I personally have met the highest goals in quality, in selling to the best buyers in the world and so it's getting more complicated. So I prefer to stay on top these days. I am trying more to be original. I think that's the main goal. It's sometimes difficult. Sometimes difficult because too many challenges coming around. So being original as a producer and keeping my quality as high as possible.
Tom:
So what would you say makes your coffee special or unique?
Fernando:
I think for me persistence. Being persistent with whatever I do. I'm looking for quality, I persist in looking for quality and I think that is something that gets me places. I keep working as much as possible because in the industry there are a lot of producers who are trying to get there. So the competition is growing but I think that the new generations are looking for new flavours or a new preparation. It is a challenge for me because I don't know so much about these things. I am very traditional. So, when you ask me for a naturally processed coffee, I'm afraid that I cannot make your natural. Because it is more the younger generations that are very good at doing that. Yeah so I think that's something that keep me motivated in some way.
Tom:
This might be quite hard one because it seems like you do a lot of different stuff each day, but what does a day in your life look like If you can generalise?
Fernando:
What has changed a lot in the last years is I am mainly trying to be in contact with customers.
So typical days, I will wake up in the morning, early maybe five, four o'clock and then one hour of sending emails, then I will do some exercise and come back. Now that my kids are grown up and have moved out. I would have usually taken them to the school but now I take a little bit more time with my wife. Then I will normally have meetings and then come to the fields. I will stay on the farms until seven, seven thirty or eight o'clock. I like to have my meal with the family and then I will send my emails to Asia and Australia to allow for the time difference. It depends a little bit and that is a typical day somedays not everyday. If you ask me what I like the most, it isn’t selling the coffee. It is being at the farms with my tools. I want to be in the farm to support it as much as possible.
Tom:
What positive impact has El Corozo or your other farms had on the local community?
Fernando:
Um, I can only speak for the local community because as I told you we bring people from other areas too. I think that a lot of people have learnt from me how to manage the coffees that are very difficult, geisha plants, etc. I hope that this will give birth to new farms in this kind of environment. With the community. I will always support the local school here. Of course! We maintain the road. We keep that road good to make sure transport is accessible for local people. We have a program of scholarship for young people. This farm is part of the mill, which is part of another 10 farms.
It's like an arm. And so this is like the tip of the arm and then the other one. So we do a lot of things. This farm is a part of a larger community a larger group that supports the local infrastructure.
Tom:
What is your favourite way to drink coffee yourself?
Fernando:
I like Santa Elena. Washed
Not so strong. That’s my typical daily coffee. I like to brew with French press and drink without milk.
Tom:
Do you try many coffees from outside of El Salvador?
Fernando:
Not much, only in fairs. Yeah it's no good. I have tried some nice Kenyan and Ethiopian washed coffees but it was too strong. Acidity was too strong for me. Honduras can be nice, Costa Rica is too light. Of course, I don't know about all the coffees. But yeah I always carry my own coffee.
Tom:
Other than coffee. What else is important to you?
Fernando:
Sport and running is definitely a passion. I have scaled down my distance per week but still enjoy running and enter races, marathons, etc. Family is very important to me, my sons and my wife especially. I think that to share what I have learnt over the years to family or to people who are really interested and willing to learn. I want to spread what I have learnt so that hopefully others can enjoy the success that I have.
Tom:
Finally, what do you know about Cardiff?
Fernando:
I know it's a very nice half marathon there. I did sign up for it a while ago, but complications meant that I had to change my plans. I have seen images of Cardiff Bay and other parts of the route and it's beautiful, but it can also be bad weather with rain and winds. I really need to go to the UK soon. It has been many years since I have visited. My wife, Magdelena also would love to come to the UK.
Tom:
We will definitely be ready to welcome you to KIN+ILK If you do come to Cardiff. Thanks for answering all the questions!