La Plata Interview Series: My Conversation with Don Libardo

(In order from left to right) Me, Don Libardo, Rafa, and my translator Julian

I first met Don Libardo weary and hungry. Tired after a day of visiting coffee farms and speaking Spanish, I was excited to retire to the house of Doña Nelly (Don Libardo’s sister) for chicken and sancoche, a Colombian stew. He was an older man in his sixties, wearing worn boots, jeans, a red polo shirt, and a hat. While we didn’t look very alike or speak the same language, he reminded me of my grandpa in the United States. A few days later, Susana and Rafa took me to his farm, where we talked about the life of growing coffee in Colombia. We talked for over two hours, and in that time, he explained the beautiful tradition of coffee growing in Colombia, along with the modern challenges growers and workers face. 

To start, Don Libardo wanted to talk about the dream he has for his children and grandchildren. For the vast majority of Colombian coffee growers, their beans are sold at a price set by the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC) to middlemen who then sell the products to coffee brands in the United States and Europe. Due to the middlemen, growers like Don Libardo miss out on better profit margins. His wish is that his kids will be able to expand their coffee brands into international markets where they can sell directly. Certain “badges” or certificates that his coffee has help to legitimize his brand and quality, bringing him closer to his goal. These certificates, like one called Rainforest Alliance, are achieved through a number of standards. For Rainforest Alliance and others like it, the coffee must be ethically produced and environmentally friendly. To enforce this, auditors will come to the farm at random and ensure that no minors are being employed, plants to keep the soil healthy and stable are used, and that pesticides aren’t being sent to local water supplies. Don Libardo’s facilities pass with flying colors. It can be hard, though, to maintain standards, especially when different areas have different standards. In Don Libardo’s case, a company in Italy would like to buy his coffee. In order to receive their certificate, he needs to have 12 to 15 trees of different species on his property. However, Libardo doesn’t seem to be upset about it.

“The seals don't come to judge us. The seals don't come to demand from us, but to enforce international standards.” The audits also help enforce rules for the treatment of coffee workers (known as “campesinos” in Colombia), which Don Libardo agrees with strongly. “They come to ensure that I have to be honest and punctual with the workers. If I say that I’ll pay them on Saturday, I have to pay them on Saturday, not the following week. I must treat them with dignity and provide them with very good attention. I am, above all, very grateful, happy, and blessed. The people we hire here are wanderers. But they are good people.” 

After this conversation, we headed into Don Libardo’s dining area, where we continued to speak over chicken, coffee, and more sancoche. We approached the topic of crime, and Don Libardo became more sullen. He described it as a fact of life, but also from a perspective of deep resentment. He talked about how he hasn’t been able to buy a new car due to the fact that armed groups in the area would then be made aware that he has wealth. It isn’t just him that has been affected, though. He told the story of Rafa, his nephew, who was kidnapped by gangsters for two days until a ransom was paid. Individuals who let it slip that they are about to liquify any large asset, like a house or plot of land, face real danger, as information can be sold to organized criminals who wouldn’t blink at kidnapping or worse. It’s hard to achieve any form of upward mobility when success is punished with abduction and theft.

After we finished our large lunch, we returned to his porch where we were talking before. I asked Don Libardo about his life story. “I am 69 years old. I have four children, and many nephews and nieces, thank God. I come from a large family of 12 siblings. My father passed away 29 years ago. My mother is also deceased. Initially, my father was a coffee producer his entire life. We were with him, right? I distanced myself from home for a while when I was young. I started 48 years ago with the wife I have. We started as caretakers. I was a foreman. That is, the worker who managed a cattle farm, it was a cattle and coffee farm. With the savings from that job, a farm was bought in a variety called El Vergel in the municipality of Huila. From there, we sold that land and bought here.  I started with one hectare. Today we have this farm, consisting of twenty hectares, plus the reserves that we have. We have been buying more land and have more farms, but the reserves are in different areas as well.  I have the map of the farm from before and I have the new map today because now with the new map, I have lots that are not there because it's not updated since they are tending to it. And that's why I say our goal is to work and serve and build a business. Grow as a company, grow as a family, grow as a producer, improve as a producer—this didn't exist here before. It was a humble little house made of wood, with a poor kitchen. Today, we've improved; we have a second floor and several rooms. We have everything we need. We have fire extinguishers, boots, rest areas, and places for the workers to watch TV and catch up on the news. We also have the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist monthly, organized by the municipality. Besides being associated with Global, the coffee cooperative, and the federation, I am associated with the local community board, and I am the treasurer of the communal board of the village. I like to serve humanity. Serving everyone here, they see me as a leader. So, all these are developments. I was able to study, educate my children. I have been able to support and collaborate with my family as much as I could. Well, obviously, I am human and I make many mistakes. But the idea is to continue and improve every day.”

After our discussion, it was clear to me that Don Libardo was a very respected man in his community. The way he approaches the art of growing coffee–which he loved—and the way he treats the people who rely on him was admirable to say the least. Of all the people I interviewed on my trip to Colombia, my conversation with Don Libardo was one of the most fulfilling.