Rodolfo Santizo has fond memories of his childhood, growing up in the countryside on a coffee farm. He remembers when his parents took him to their family farm he would try to help them with the farm activities and learn about producing coffee. Rodolfo and his siblings would help out with the task of planting new coffee seedlings. For him, the most beautiful memory of these times was when he used to see tall and heathy trees, with cherry blossoms, free from diseases. Since then, Rodolfo has been passionate about coffee, he always knew that when he grew older, he would become a coffee producer. His parents didn’t use to use any chemicals to fertilize their coffee and that inspired Rodolfo to become a sustainable coffee grower, always considering the land and the environment as a priority.

Coffee has been the Santizo’s family ́s main source of income for three generations now and it is slowly passing on to the fourth generation. Rodolfo’s son, Marcos, involves himself with the farm processes, he helps his father and offers him advice of how processes could be done differently to produce a better result. Rodoldo involves Marcos with all the plans that he has for the farm, so they can work on them together, such as the building of raised drying beds.

Finca Miralvalle sits at the top of a mountain and is part of the Natural Biosphere Reserve. Rodolfo loves seeing the different types of birds and fauna passing by the farm, and he knows that through his dedication he has created a wonderful habitat for them.