Cristina Garces in Guatemala

Volunteer: Cristina Garces, Café Montes y Colinas
Assignment: Provide cupping training
Location: Guatemala

Colombia native Cristina Garces is an expert cupper. Her family has been growing coffee in Colombia for over 50 years and she currently manages the U.S. marketing for her family farm. Growing up, she spent her summers at the farm where she developed a passion for coffee, the people and the agricultural life. Later, as she saw many coffee growers going out of business and families suffering because of the coffee crisis, she felt compelled to help. After studying in the U.S., she went back to Colombia and chose coffee as her profession.

As part of her own training, she has worked with some of the most respected cuppers in the industry and is now applying that expertise to teach others. Garces held an extensive cupping workshop at several labs at the request of Transfair and La Tabla, an association of several small cooperatives. She plans to return to Guatemala to help set up several cupping labs and provide additional on-site training.

Although her assignment is complete, Garces continues her work by sharing her knowledge with others and helping to bring new technology to the farms near her home in Colombia. She believes that her region has the opportunity to produce some of the finest coffees in the country, and by focusing on that goal, she also knows that the farmers and their families will have greater opportunities to succeed.