Ariel Pajoy

When Ariel Pajoy purchased Finca Buena Vista and arrived on the farm for the first time, it was a junkyard. The land was full of old and forgotten coffee trees, clothes, and trash. Ariel had to spend weeks cleaning up the land, planting new coffee trees and caring for those coffee trees that could still be redeemed. Ariel has been involved with coffee his entire life as his parents were also coffee growers, but now he is the owner and manager of his own farm, he keeps track of all his processes, his costs, and his income. He also receives help from his wife and children. His wife helps him weight the coffee, both in cherries and parchment form so they can work out the yields, and his children help him to move the coffee while its drying and then pack it. Little by little, Ariel has been involving his children with the coffee business because he dreams that one day they will continue with the family legacy.

Ariel started producing specialty coffee when he learned about a coffee contest that Caravela was launching called Las Mingas. However, he didn’t start producing specialty coffee with complete commitment until 2015. During this process, he has learned that when you take better care of the coffee and do things well, many doors and new opportunities open for you. Ariel enjoys learning about coffee, he has participated in various trainings to continue learning and see how can improve every day. However, Ariel’s passion and biggest dream is to learn to cup and prepare the finalized product. He likes to taste his coffee and learn more about roasted coffee to see how he can improve his processes on the farm. In the short term, he would love to have a cupping lab on site where he could learn more about the coffee he produces. He would also like to be able to measure humidity and water activity himself in order to improve his drying process and timing.