“I want to keep teaching, and keep learning—because we can only share what we understand. And now, I understand coffee a little more.”
These were the words Johana Alvarez shared after two days at the GCAG coffee training course in Bucaramanga, Colombia. A math teacher by profession and a coffee farmer by heritage, Johana arrived at the course with a quiet curiosity and left with a transformed perspective—not just on coffee, but on how she can serve her students, family, and community.
Johana Alvarez
Growing Her Family Legacy
Johana comes from a long line of coffee growers. Her grandfather once managed 10 hectares of coffee across their region, dividing the land among his children. Her father now works a 2.5-hectare plot, home to 3,000–4,000 coffee trees. Though Johana grew up among the trees, her role remained more observational—she understood the basics: seed, plant, germination, harvest, post-harvest. But up until recently, she had only ever known one thing: selling dried parchment coffee to the cooperative. That changed in Bucaramanga, where her heritage met a new opportunity to deepen her connection to the land.
Johana-Alvarez-on a -coffee-farm
Transforming Routine into Johana’s Coffee Reverence
What began as a two-day training program organized by the Global Coffee Alliance for Good (GCAG) became something more—a shift in how Johana viewed the drink so central to her family’s livelihood. Her favorite way to prepare coffee, she later shared, is undoubtedly the V60 pour-over method, a ritual she cherishes when sharing with family and friends, preferably in moments free of haste where a good cup can be savored calmly.
“The kettles, the tiny cups, the scales, the temperature—everything affects the taste. I had no idea there were so many variables. Until now, I never thought of coffee this way.”
Surrounded by international instructors, brewing tools she’d never used, and a new vocabulary of coffee science, Johana saw firsthand how the same beans she helped grow could become a work of art in the right hands. This revelation sparked a desire to refine her family’s post-harvest processes, focusing on cherry selection, drying, and fermentation, while preserving the cultivated varieties and traditional seeding and fertilization methods she values from her heritage.
Shaping Lives with Teaching and Farming Roots
Johana isn’t just a coffee producer—she’s a teacher of mathematics, working with both primary and secondary students. And it’s clear from the way she speaks that education is her purpose.
“This experience made me see the value in what we have. So many of us rush through coffee preparation like it’s just part of the morning routine. But now I know there’s so much more to it. And I want to teach that.”
Her analytical mind, honed by years of teaching math, has proven invaluable in understanding coffee differently. She has analyzed results using statistics to compare samples, conducted hypothesis tests, and interpreted variability between lots, identifying patterns and anomalies with precision. Johana has also experimented with variables like extraction time and temperature, optimizing parameters to enhance quality and efficiency, and even represented coffee’s physical and chemical processes through mathematical models to grasp variable relationships.
Since the GCAG course, Johana has shared her newfound knowledge with family, friends, and students, extending her reach to workshops with older coffee farmers near her municipality. This blend of teaching and learning has deepened her commitment to her dual roles, inspiring her to bring practical coffee insights into her classroom and farm.
Johana Alvarez at GCAG
Dreaming Beyond the Coffee Fields
When asked about her dream, Johana paused. “That’s a hard question,” she said. “I have many.” She dreams of a happy family—the one she chooses. She wants to support her parents, uplift her community, and teach her students more than just numbers or harvest methods. She envisions one day taking the reins of the family farm, a future she sees as promising, filled with opportunities, challenges, and continuous learning.
“The beautiful thing about growing coffee is that there are so many variables and possibilities to experiment with different parameters”
she notes, highlighting her intent to evaluate cup profiles constantly while honoring the farm’s traditions. And she wants to keep learning, she added, “so I can keep teaching.”
Brewing a Community Legacy
Johana’s story is one of many made possible through the support of GCAG and its partners—including the global coffee community who purchased coffee wristbands to fund training like this. Each wristband represents a story like Johana’s—a story of transformation, tradition, and hope. Unable to share photos of minors without parental consent, she instead offers a warm embrace, inviting others to return and witness her journey firsthand.
In the quiet hills of Bucaramanga, a teacher found her next lesson. And thanks to her, many more will learn, as she bridges the classroom with the coffee fields, turning everyday routines into opportunities for growth and connection.
