"Benjamin López is a third-generation coffee farmer. Though he grew up helping on his family’s farm, he didn’t plan to stay in coffee. That changed when he joined the Guatemalan
national coffee group Anacafé as a technician supporting wet mill design and post-harvest processing. His work with cooperatives and large producers helped him understand the
complexity and potential of coffee—and sparked his own interest in farming. After five years at Anacafé, three of which overlapped with starting his own farm, he committed fully to
coffee. His farms are both inherited and self-purchased- a blend of family tradition and his entrepreneurial drive.
Ben’s farms are a mix of inherited land and personal investment. His plots include caturra, bourbon, and gesha varieties—grown under shade trees like avocado, peach, gravilea, and native forest species. Benjamin practices a hybrid approach to agriculture. Thirty percent of his land is managed organically, using compost made from coffee husk, lime, and chicken manure. This is applied on a rotating basis to conserve soil. He also uses chemical fertilization
twice a year. Weed control is intensive, with manual clearing every 6–8 weeks. This year, he began testing Canavalia beans as a ground cover to fix nitrogen into the soil and reduce
weeds and labor, a method drawn from eastern Guatemala’s corn systems. He manages coffee processing wastewater with a basic decanting system that recycles water and reuses
solids as fertilizer."
via Shared Source
