Faustino Miramon was born on a farm far from Sochiapam, where he lived with his family. During his youth, he and his family were able to survive on their land, but pests, droughts, floods and other events made life increasingly difficult there. This was aggravated by the inability to find jobs or educational opportunities for him and his siblings. This forced him to leave for the USA at age 20 to find a better future for himself and send monetary help to his family. He lived and worked in Michigan for 22 years, sending money to his family. At the age of 42 he decided to return to Mexico and rededicate himself to the livelihood with which he grew up, coffee.
He found the perfect place for coffee growing in Sochiapam and bought 3 hectares of land which he named Rancho Chayote (after the Chayote River that crosses his farm). There he planted Typica, Mundo Novo, and Gran Colombia varieties. He has his own washing station at his house, where he ferments his coffee in wooden tanks and plastic cylinders for 30 hours, then dries it for 5-8 days on patios. He uses native trees such as ice cream bean trees and avocado to shade their coffee trees. These trees provide not only shade, but also various benefits such as food, ornamentation, medicine, construction materials, nitrogen fixing, and water retention.
Sochiapam is heavily wooded and has a lot of wildlife. It shelters a protected natural reserve in which all kinds of commercial activity such as logging, agriculture, hunting, fishing, and beyond are prohibited. Sochiapam’s producers are vigilant in ensuring that this preserve is kept intact.
