Days before moving Swelter Coffee across the country, from California to Illinois, I was able to sit down with Sabrina Rodreguez for a casual “interview” on her family’s coffee farm, being new to the coffee industry, and what it means for her to be a young women in coffee.
We recorded the interview! You can read the transcript here - apologies audio on the video was not clear enough!
I have known Sabrina and her family for a few years. I came to one of their cuppings (coffee tastings) hosted at Bay Area CoRoasters (CoRo) and was excited to meet Sabrina and Lilian (her mom) as I was just starting to meet producers post-pandemic. Sabrina is a first generation American, her parents were born in Guatemala, so she’s grown up straddling both cultures. Her parents started their coffee farm with a dream to build a family business, and connect to their roots. Witnessing this hard work and dedication has instilled a passion and determination in Sabrina as she embarks on her career in coffee.
We talked about the complexities of running a coffee farm, importing that coffee to the U.S., and selling it (green and roasted) – all on their own. This is not standard in the industry, but it is important to Sabrina and her family to own their story, vision and values. Being U.S. citizens, they have the advantage of importing their own coffee into the states, which has its benefits – mainly having control of the supply chain from the farm to the customer – but also has its challenges. They have to split their time between running their farm, and running logistics of an exporting and importing business. That's like running two separate businesses, while on a learning curve as they’re doing all this for the first time.
Challenges facing the younger generation in coffee
One of the biggest threats to our coffee’s future is that the youth are not taking on the family business. It's hard work, it often doesn’t pay well, and it is unreliable. Younger generations see their family’s struggle, coupled with more opportunity in larger urban areas. Sabrina sees the potential. She has an opportunity to use her skills having grown up in the digital age to make new connections and take different approaches to growing their coffee business.
Networking digitally, and connecting with the newer generation of consumers comes more naturally to her, so she can help reinvent the industry and carry her family’s farm into the future. This approach, a new lens and perspective, will help the coffee industry survive in the future – specifically as it applies up the supply chain to producing communities. They hold the keys to our coffee future, so we must support and nurture their enthusiasm!
“ …“She’s still an American girl even if her family was born and raised here”– that does have a challenge just because I feel that they don't feel that they should respect me as much…”
Another challenge Sabrina faces is culture. Being a first gen American, she has grown up with a mix of influences and customs. As she's ventured into the coffee industry, she’s witnessed this showing up in many ways, especially when she’s back at her family’s farm. Rolls and responsibilities are very different in her Guatemalan culture than here in the U.S., so she’s learning how to navigate those complexities as she defines her role in her family’s business. Also being young, she’s constantly either being underestimated or expected to know everything in the industry.
Authentic storytelling
We use stories to help us relate with different things, and coffee is no different. Stories about farmers and their global north saviors dominate the industry's marketing landscape to try and get consumers to buy more coffee (this topic is prime for a whole blog post itself). Sabrina and her family are determined to own their own narrative, and advocate for their story as farmers and importers in the Specialty Coffee industry, as well as support authentic stories throughout farming communities. Sabrina notes it is easier to communicate and connect with smaller roasters, vs. larger ones who don’t seem to have the time to connect and nurture their relationship. And there is definitely a challenge when roasters want to come visit the farms and have an authentic experience. Farmers are expected to host and present an accommodating atmosphere, no matter how far from the reality it is. If roasters and customers get an authentic experience with the hiccups that happen naturally on the farm, would they come back, or continue to purchase from the farmers? That's the risk… This topic is one I personally feel should be discussed more.
Conclusion
Sabrina is an inspiration, along with her family, with their determination and passion to grow their coffee business. The care and attention spans every aspect of their business. I don’t think their story is unique in that many farmers give so much energy, care, and intention to their work, yet each farmer does have a unique story, and it serves us all to hear more about it from their perspectives.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Sabrina and her family’s farm! Even thought this blog post is technically my (the authors) perspective, I hope it helps share more specifically some of Sabrina’s story. Follow along her family’s journey on Social Media:
