PANAMANIAN COFFEE FARMER Graciano
Cruz is an affable, charming, and intelligent man.
He's quick with a smile and, though a commanding
figure in specialty coffee for his groundbreaking
work in Panama and at origin around the world,
he's remarkably easy to talk with. A father of three
sons—aged 24 and 22 years old, and 7 months—
Graciano says they are "my main reason for my
missions and dreams in life." With an emphasis
on high-quality sustainable production and explo-
ration of new varieties, Graciano has traveled the
world learning from and teaching other coffee
growers and coffee professionals. I was lucky
enough to hear him speak at Barista Camp Europe
last October, where he wowed attendees with a pre-
sentation about his projects at origin. Considering
the rapt attention paid to Graciano by the baristas
at camp, we made a safe assumption that the story
of this progressive coffee professional would inter-
est our magazine readers, as well.
Graciano Cruz
Producer, Educator, Visionary
By Kenneth R. Olson
MASTER
83
www.baristamagazine.com