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Audio story #8: Juan Angel Welchez
56 Plays2 years ago
Meet Agricultural Engineer, Juan Angel Welchez.
Juan grew up with coffee running in his veins; Juan Angel Welchez is a third-generation Honduran coffee farmer. Juan originally got into the coffee industry after his grandfather—a fellow coffee farmer—passed away. He said,
“I wanted to be a coffee farmer to keep my grandpa’s legacy alive.”
Read the full article here
https://notabarista.org/juan-angel-welchez/
Article by Emma Niro
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https://notabarista.org/coffee-stories/
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Transcript
Introduction of Juan Angel Welchas
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Coffee Stories, Juan Angel Welchas by Emma Nero.
Juan's Family Legacy in Coffee Farming
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Coffee runs in Juan Angel Welchas' veins. If anyone was destined to go into the coffee industry, it was him. To him, coffee is more than a drink. It is a connection, a bond. This love of coffee began with Juan's grandfather, making him a third-generation Honduran coffee farmer.
Continuing the Legacy: From Passion to Purpose
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Juan said,
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I remember my grandfather's passion for our farm and how we travel every single day to do what he loved the most. After his grandfather passed, Juan decided to follow in his footsteps and work in the coffee industry. In joining the industry, Juan had two goals in mind. The first was that he wanted to continue his grandfather's legacy. Juan always believed that he and his grandfather were very similar people.
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They both loved the outdoors, nature, and anything that could be linked to science. They were kindred spirits. The second was that Juan wanted to be the voice for the 102,000 Honduran coffee farmer families and all coffee farmers around the world because they are never noticed and they do so much for this amazing and beautiful industry.
Education and Agricultural Pursuits
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But what steps did Juan take to get to this point? How is he able to be the voice for all coffee farmers?
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After Juan decided to join the coffee industry, he enrolled in El Zamorano University in Honduras as an agricultural engineering major. At El Zamorano, Juan had to undergo very laborious tasks. Juan had to clean entire cattle fields of weeds with only a machete. He was required to hand harvest corn. He was also assigned to work in a livestock factory, and these tasks were being done on top of going to class.
Practical Experience in Coffee Science
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After graduation, Juan landed a job at Finca Santa Isabel Estate. During his first year, Juan started doing labor work once again. It was at this time that Juan got acquainted with Luis, the head cupper of the farm, who is now one of his coffee mentors. Under Luis's wing, Juan learned a ton about cupping and the food science behind every cup of coffee.
Advanced Studies in Crop Nutrition
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Eventually,
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Juan went back to school to get his master's in crop nutrition and protection at Universitet Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. After wrapping up his master's program, Juan returned to Finca Santa Isabel Estate and began to work as the operations manager for the entire farm. While working at his job, Juan was constantly brushing up on his reading about the coffee industry. He also took some classes on coffee cupping.
COVID Era: Blogging and Global Connections
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It was at this point that the COVID pandemic hit.
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However, rather than stopping work entirely, Juan discovered a new passion, writing. With the support of his wife, Juan created a blog called The Cupping Farmer.
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Through Juan's posts, he was able to connect with others who had the same passion as him. Despite Juan's current success with his blog, in the beginning he even hesitated on starting a blog. He admitted, I was always afraid of exposing myself to the world. However, his fear did not stop him. Through sharing his passion for coffee, he discovered there were tons of people across the world who could educate him about the coffee industry, just like he was educating them.
Raising Awareness for Coffee Farmers
00:03:13
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It was an exchange of knowledge. So why does Juan's story deserve to be told? Because it's not just Juan's story that is being told. It is every coffee farmer's story too. No one really pays attention to the farming side of coffee. There are so many people within the coffee industry who deserve to be recognized. Juan is spearheading that movement with his blog and now with I'm Not a Barista.
Challenging Stereotypes in the Coffee Industry
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Finally, Juan is removing a great stigma. He reminds consumers that, although farming takes a lot of grit and labor, it also takes brains. Every person in the coffee industry has hearts and opinions on how to make the industry more successful, and every person's voice should be heard. So let's start with Juan's.