I met the Rodriguez family at a coffee cupping* at CoRo in Berkeley, California. I was immediately impressed by learning their story of how Lilian and David immigrated to the U.S., started a life and a family, then returned to their home region to follow their dream. They are now the family behind Finca Santa Marta (Santa Marta Farm), and they are the producers behind our single origin Guatemalan coffee: Lilly's Guatemala.
Shown above: Lilly and me in the CoRo cupping room
Returning to the Soil
David Rodriguez Sr. grew up around coffee. As a kid, he ran through thousands of coffee plants at his father Don Laureano's farm in the highlands of Mataquescuintla, Guatemala. That early love turned into a lifelong dream, and eventually, a farm of his own, run with his own family. Finca Santa Marta sits at 1,800 to 2,200 meters above sea level, grown under the shade of native Grevillea and Kuje trees, hand-picked at peak ripeness, and patio-dried in the sun and fresh air. The result is a high-altitude, shade-grown coffee with the clarity and sweetness that Guatemala's highlands are known for.
While David manages the farm on the ground, Lillian focuses on the broader business. The family imports their green coffee directly to the U.S., bypassing external exporters and importers entirely — a rarity in the specialty coffee supply chain. Lillian's presence and leadership, with the support of her husband, in a traditionally male-dominated industry stood out to me immediately. The mission behind Swelter is to support and promote women coffee producers, and Lillian and her family represent true collaboration and equity throughout every level of the business.
The Future of the Specialty Coffee Industry
Across coffee-growing regions, younger people are stepping away from the industry. Climate pressures, tight economic margins, a volatile coffee commodity market, and the demands of physical farm work are leading younger generations to leave their family farms in search of more stability in the cities. The future of sustainable coffee farming is uncertain, and it takes real love, dedication, and hard work to make staying worth it.
The Rodriguez family is fostering their farm's future, and the broader industry along with it. Sabrina is building connections between the farm and specialty coffee lovers worldwide, carrying her grandfather's legacy into new markets (she's also the first college graduate in the family, with her nursing degree). David Jr. is focused on the roasting side, developing his craft with the same precision and passion the family brings to the farm. Katherine is expanding their reach into new regions, securing the kind of long-term relationships that sustain a direct trade coffee business year over year. These kids weren't pushed into the family business. They see a future in it.
That kind of continuity is rare and worth celebrating.
Shown above: Sabrina, Lilly, and David Rodriguez
*Cupping: A specific coffee tasting method used to assess a coffee's quality and flavor profile before purchasing green coffee.
