Aurelio works alone on the farm, except during peak harvest times, when he hires workers and enlists the help of his relatives to pick the coffee. The coffee trees are planted in widely spaced rows to allow light to reach the plants more easily and to ensure good ventilation, thus preventing fungal diseases. The trees are fertilized frequently, and Aurelio weeds by hand with a hoe (three times a year) or with a machete in the more difficult to reach areas.

Aurelio Marín is part of the second generation of a family of coffee farmers in La Palma, Chirinos, with his brothers learning the trade from their father — a prominent coffee grower in the area, owner of relatively large tracts of land. Aurelio spent many years working on his father’s farm, and in 2012, his father left him the La Guava plot, which included varieties such as Catimor and Nacional. Aurelio replanted this plot with the Gran Colombia and Catuí varieties.