Deep in the cool mountain ranges of Jayuya, the aroma from Hacienda San Pedro coffee permeates delicately from the processing plant to the farm.
This project is located in 350 acres planted with coffee bushes at the Coabey Ward. Roberto Atienza, company President, and member of the third generation of the family is a true example of entrepreneurial commitment and passion, facing challenges and putting in long hours every day to ensure the quality of their products and meeting their agribusiness goals. Atienza oversees all operational phases of the company and has also integrated his adult children to assist in administrative tasks and others as needed.
A family tradition
Hacienda San Pedro is a family agricultural project which started with Don Emeterio Atienza, grandfather of Roberto, and his vision to grow coffee and other crops. The farm has continued to evolve since the founder began working the land and they have vowed to continuously strive to elevate and perfect the quality of the commercial coffee planted and processed to accomplish a unique quality and brand for coffee lovers.
Today, Hacienda San Pedro is distributed in Japan, Greece, Italy, Spain and the United States. However, over the last few years, exports have diminished due to the high demand from local market consumers and distribution outlets.
Currently, Hacienda San Pedro produces an average of 600 and 1,000 quintals, depending on the year and the vast majority is sold locally. Atienza is currently working on improving its production volumes to reignite exports to current markets as well as new ones. In addition, the project purchases coffee beans from surrounding coffee farmers who harvest superior quality coffee, with similar product standards as Atienza’s brands.
Diversifying the operation
Hacienda San Pedro has also developed an agritourism project within its facilities to attract visitors both from Puerto Rico as well as abroad, and it features a coffee shop, a restaurant and a coffee museum. The commercial brands they market are Café La Finca, Café Gallo Premium and Café Hacienda San Pedro, its most notable and premium coffee brand. The company has also diversified into several high traffic locations in the San Juan Metro area to establish coffee parlors and shops and even in-store locations inside La Hacienda, a local premium gourmet food market with several re
tail locations in Puerto Rico.
Continued growth and expansion
On a local level, the company continues to expand to better serve the growing demand of consumers, including the tourism market that visits the Island. Among its upcoming projects is establishing a coffee retail location at the new “globe” attraction in Jayuya, which is forecasting 100,000 tourists annually.
An essential ally
“Puerto Rico Farm Credit’s support has been essential to facilitate the growth and inventory expansion of our company”, explained Atienza. He further mentioned having worked with other traditional commercial banks in the past, but they don’t understand the agribusiness models. “Our projects require credit lines and terms that allow us room to move based on the reality of our business and our inventories. The cooperative model of Puerto Rico Farm Credit is very beneficial and we see the bank as an ally more than anything else, a true partner willing to work alongside those entrepreneurs who believe in agriculture,” Atienza added.
