‘Pepe’ Jijón loves his life in the Ecuadorian cloud forest, but for his son Jose, the excitement of New York city callsOn an October day, Jose Jijon rang up a customer’s $35 bag of coffee at a Brooklyn, New York, cafe. The transaction was one of many as shoppers poured in and out of Sey Coffee, one of the country’s most renowned roasteries.There was no way the patron who browsed the coffee varieties – each identified by producer, location and altitude of the farm – could know the smiling young cashier wearing the Johnny Cash T-shirt was the heir apparent to the coffee farm whose beans they had just purchased. Continue reading...
Jose Jijon, whose father Pepe runs the renowned Finca Soledad coffee farm in Ecuador, faces uncertainty about inheriting the family business. Despite Pepe's encouragement and Jose's deep connection to coffee, Jose is exploring alternative paths, including opportunities in the city. Pepe, who has embraced his son's autonomy, focuses on sustainable farming and conservation, recognizing the broader challenges facing smallholder coffee farms, such as climate change and market pressures. The story highlights the generational challenges in agriculture, where younger generations often seek different career paths, leaving the future of family farms uncertain.