Exploring Sustainability at Finca La Esperanza: A Visit with Cesar and Maria Buesaquillo

Visiting Cesar and Maria Buesaquillo is always a fulfilling experience. Personally, I have found every visit to be comforting for the soul, spirit, and senses. After almost four years, there are a lot of changes taking place at Finca La Esperanza. From infrastructure to processing Cesar’s amazing coffees, to improvements in their house, new varietals being planted, and a promising harvest about to take place around November. Not to forget about the many improvements to Cesar’s classic 1943 Jeep Willys, a legacy of his father.

As the conversation progressed around our current relationship and the way we are improving every aspect of our supply and production chain, the very important topic of sustainability took place. For many years, we were under the belief that Cesar and his family were the custodians of a national park in the area. Little did we know that Cesar and his neighbour were the architects behind the idea of an area of conservation.

The Buesaquillos own around 6 hectares of land. The lower part of Finca La Esperanza is delimited by a creek where both farms have recreated an ecological sanctuary. Both farmers have dedicated one hectare each to preserve a piece of the local ecosystem. Beehives, rodents, reptiles, and the endangered species Guagua live in this small oasis. Both farmers are fully aware of the importance of protecting this water resource. They also enjoy the benefits of having their own group of bees pollinating their crops and maintaining a perfect balance with their surroundings.

Cesar explained to us about La Guagua, a very unique and peculiar mammal that only reproduces once in their lifetime, both males and females. One of the reasons why they believe it is of extreme importance to protect them, as their numbers are very few.

Having such a revelation only made us believe even more in our commitment to direct trade and social sustainability. Farmers and their communities are very aware of how to protect their environment and their surroundings. All they need is the right support and stability to be able to invest in their land and the future of the environment around them.