PANFILO CRUZ

Panfilo Cruz, a coffee producer from Oaxaca’s Sierra Mazateca, belongs to the Mazateca Indigenous community and speaks Mazateco as his first language. His community fiercely protects their heritage, even choosing not to teach Spanish to their children to preserve their native tongue.

Panfilo inherited his 7,500-square-metre farm from his parents, who passed down a love for coffee through years of labour and sacrifice. He recalls their early mornings and long treks to tend to the crops, processing coffee by hand and then journeying to Oaxaca’s capital to trade it.

Today, Panfilo owns two farms and dreams of expanding, showing his community that hard work and dedication can grow into something meaningful.