University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department
ENGL4021 L03

MEMORANDUM

DATE: December 1st, 2020.

TO: Prof. Pier A. Le Compte
FROM: Amanda Acosta Mirabal, Fares Ahmad Abualrub, Joao Báez Ordoñez, Lorraine Centeno
González, and Nayra Castilloveitía Rivera.
SUBJECT: Progress Report on Buena Vibra Farm

INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY
In August 2020, professor Le Compte assigned us to perform a minimum of four hours of
community service on a farm or garden for the Technical Report Writing for Biology course
(ENGL4021) from The University of Puerto Rico at Ponce. The purpose of this activity is to
actively contribute to the care of our natural resources and encourage practices that reduce the
repercussions that human activities have on the environment. Additionally, this report aims to
document the completed work and what is left unfinished, if any, on the farm we chose. As a
workgroup, we decided to carry out our working hours at Buena Vibra Farm. We began our
project on November 6th and completed it on November 17th, 2020. The original project
objectives involved three phases:
Phase 1: Contacting the person in charge of the farm to gather the necessary information
about the area and how the group could contribute to its improvement
Phase 2: Collecting and processing of Arabica coffee
Phase 3: Harvesting and planting crops
We completed phase one and two of the project within the stipulated time period. However, we
were unable to complete phase three due to weather conditions. Based on this, we completed
70% of our project.

Buena Vibra Farm’s Background

Buena Vibra is a farm located in the rural area of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in
2016 by Rafael Rodríguez and is a family agribusiness dedicated to the cultivation and planting
of Arabica coffee, which is made from the Coffea arabica plant. This type of coffee originated in
southwestern Ethiopia and is the most popular around the world. According to Mr.Rodríguez,
arabica coffee likes to grow in the shade and has a slightly sweet flavor with hints of chocolate,
nuts, and caramel. Besides coffee, they grow oranges, raspberries, avocados, among others. They
also practice the domestication of animals such as chickens and goats.
WORK COMPLETED
In the first week of the project (November 6th to 13th), we contacted the farm owner,
Rafael Rodríguez, via phone call to provide us with pertinent information about the farm and the
process to follow to carry out volunteer hours. Then, in the second week (November 17th), we
collected and processed Arabica coffee at Buena Vibra farm. By the end of the project, we
completed around seventy percent of the stipulated goals. The following table summarizes the
tasks performed by each of the group members:

Member Amanda Fares Joao Báez Lorraine Nayra

Acosta Ahmad Centeno Castilloveitía

Farm Contacted Reverdecer Callejón Buena Monte Boriken

Trujillo Vibra Querido Soberano

Farm Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee

Responsibilities harvesting harvesting harvesting harvesting harvesting and
or Tasks and and and and processing
processing processing processing processing
Table 1: Farms contacted and tasks held by each of the group members.

Information Gathering
Phase one of the project involved contacting the person in charge or owner of the farm of
interest to identify the place's requirements and needs. Each team member contacted a farm or
garden within the southern area of Puerto Rico to identify their needs, availability, and the
maximum number of volunteers allowed. The farms contacted were Reverdecer, Monte Querido,
Buena Vibra, and Boriken Soberano. A member also communicated with Callejón Trujillo
Garden. After a round of phone calls, we opted for Buena Vibra because of its accessibility and
staff's enthusiasm. Joao Báez, one of the team members, took the responsibility of contacting the
farm owner, Mr. Rafael Rodríguez, via phone calls. During the conversation, the critical points
covered were the farm's location and background, the working hours, and the maximum number
of people allowed. The farm operated on weekdays from 8:00am till noon, and there was no
minimum or maximum of people allowed. Among the suggested tasks to work on were
collecting and processing coffee and the planting of crops.

Coffee Harvesting and Processing

Phase two of our project consisted of harvesting and processing Arabica coffee. For this,
we arrived at the farm at 8:00am and worked until noon (12:00pm). Coffee harvesting consisted
of selecting the red seeds (also called beans), which indicates they are ripe and ready to be
harvested. The farmer and the team stripped off each of them from the branch by hand. This type
of labor harvest Arabica beans, which produce a type of coffee made from the Coffea arabica
plant. Those types of coffee beans are the specialty of Buena Vibra Farm. Each of the team
members spent two and a half hours harvesting the necessary coffee beans, and we collected a
total of 12.5 pounds of seeds. After the collection, we moved to the coffee processing. There are
two types of coffee processing methods, dry and wet. Rafael explained to us the wet method. The
process consisted of removing the pulp from the coffee seed so that it dries with just the skin of
the parchment, a layer that protects the coffee bean. The freshly harvested beans are passed
through the pulping machine to separate the skin and pulp from the grain. After that, the seeds
are soaked in water for up to 24 hours. The pulping machine consisted of the following parts:
• Electric motor
• Plastic container to throw the processed seeds
• Water or garden hose
• Automated peeler
Each member spent an approximation of an hour and a half in the coffee processing phase. This
included the pulping machine tutorial and an educational talk about the history of coffee
harvesting. Some of the tasks performed by our group in this phase are shown in the appendix
section of this report.

INCOMPLETE WORK
Phase three of our project was harvesting and planting of crops. Unfortunately, due to
weather conditions, we were unable to complete this task. The location was a rural area, and the
climate is a determining factor for the activities to be carried out. Once noon arrives, it starts to
get cloudy, and it rains. Although it was sunny in the morning, it had rained in previous days, so
the soil was wet and muddy.

FUTURE PLANS
Although we were not present to complete the entire coffee process after being subjected
to pulping and soaking in water, the farm will continue with the process until the seeds are dried
and could be exported. After soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours, they will be dried in the
sun for two to seven hours. The farm will collect those beans and make them go through another
processor to remove an additional layer (a layer that causes indigestion). Once the person
removes the layer, he or she will roast them in an oven. Finally, the coffee is ground and ready to
be packed and exported. The farmers will continue with this process until they can ship it to
different places around the world.

CONCLUDING REMARKS
The Technical Writing course has encouraged community service for several years, and
this virtual semester was no exception. The experience of working at the Buena Vibra farm was
unique for our workgroup since the harvesting and processing of coffee first hand was new for
all members. We fulfill the project's objective, which was to promote practices that contribute to
the care of the environment and reduce human activities' effects on natural resources. Our work
consisted of the collection and processing of Arabica coffee. This task helps to encourage
agricultural practices and raise awareness of the importance of planting, specifically, local crops.
Through this work, we had the opportunity to expand our knowledge about local agriculture and
how farmers manage to sustain their products in pandemic and post-earthquake times. Our team
fulfilled more than fifty percent of the tasks and phases stipulated for this project, leaving out the
planting of crops due to weather conditions.
The research on Buena Vibra and coffee processing and the four hours of volunteer work
helped us understand the great effort to maintain a farm in order to make the crops grow
successfully. In class, we had the opportunity to learn more about genetically modified foods and
their ramifications on human health and the environment, making us aware of the importance of
planting our own products. The farm will continue to harvest coffee and export it around Puerto
Rico and the world. Buena Vibra has limited staff, and the government incentives they receive
are not always enough to sustain their products. Projects like this serve not only to assist these
independent farmers but also to raise awareness that agriculture matters.

APPENDIX

Figure 1: Fares Ahmad, Nayra Castilloveitía, Figure 2: Amanda Acosta harvesting coffee
Lorraine Centeno, and Joao Baéz harvesting coffee at at Buena Vibra. Photo taken by Nayra
Buena Vibra. Photo taken by Amanda Acosta. Castilloveitía.
Figure 3: Final coffee harvest with a total Figure 4: Coffee pulping machine, which
weight of 12.5 pounds of seeds. Photo taken consist of motor, plastic can, and water
by Amanda Acosta. hose. Photo taken by Nayra Castilloveitía.

Figure 5: Amanda Acosta and Nayra Figure 6: Fares Ahmad collecting the red coffee
Castilloveitia collecting coffee seeds. Photo seeds. Photo taken by Amanda Acosta.
taken by Joao Báez.
Figure 7: Pulping machine processed coffee final Figure 8: Lorraine Centeno harvesting the red
result. Photo taken by Lorraine Centeno. coffee seeds. Photo taken by Fares Ahmad.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sigalingging, R. (2017). Mechanical behaviour of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) beans under
loading compression. IOPscience. Retrieved from
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/122/1/012100

Rodríguez, R. (2020). Buena Vibra Personal Interview.

 S E L F - R E F L E C T I O N O N P R O J E C T W O R K
Think about what you did in this project, and how well the project went.
Write your comments in the right column.

Student Name:
Project Name:
Driving Question:

List the major steps of the

project:

About Yourself:
What is the most important
thing you learned in this
project:

What do you wish you had

spent more time on or done
differently:

What part of the project did

you do your best work on:

About the Project:

What was the most
enjoyable part of this
project:

What was the least

enjoyable part of this
project:

How could your teacher(s)

change this project to make
it better next time:

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