Felix Martinez - Santa Cruz de Ozoletepec, Mexico

HARVEST PERIOD Feb - April 

VARIETY Typica y Marsellesa

ALTITUDE 1,515-1,540 masl 

TEMPERATURE 10 - 24 °C

History 

Felix Martinez is originally from Santa Cruz Ozolotepec, he has dedicated his life to the countryside, working as an agricultural laborer carrying out the different activities that were required at the time, including planting, maintenance and harvesting of crops such as corn and coffee.

Felix acquired his first coffee farm called "El Ranchito" in 1992. His family had limited resources, so the only way to acquire his own land was to buy it. In 2009, he bought the plot called "El Pocito". He does not remember the exact date he bought the other properties. 

Producer Félix says that once he got married, he bought his plot "El Ranchito" and together with his wife they began to work on their first plot of coffee on their own, and over the years they bought the second plot.

The name "El Ranchito" has been preserved since the property was purchased, as the land previously belonged to someone else. Regarding the plot "El Guayabal", it was named thus because of the presence of a guava tree on the property. "El Pocito" is called thus because there is a water well on the property, and "El Cerro" because it is attached to the town's hill.

Coffee farming gives them hope as it represents a large part of their income and subsistence.  

Processing Information

In general, he executes only traditional management on his plots, such as weeding and this depending on the available labor, because Mr. Felix also works as a day laborer. Our SMS team is helping to provide more information on the advanced management such as shade control, renovation, fertlization, and so on.

The first picking take place in mid-December and extend until March or April.

Once the picking is made, depending on the volume, the decision is made whether to pulp it that same afternoon or reserve it to be pulped the next day with the cherry cut that same day. For fermentation, it is only left overnight and washed the next day, after having been pulped.

In the end, the drying takes place in the patio of the house as it is located in the community.

The producer comments that his work, patience and love are used to better process of the coffee, since it is difficult to make the Picking while more coffee is fermenting, washing or drying.

The producer's vision for the future

Mechanize maintenance on my plot, this in terms of weeding or agronomic management.