Twelve years ago, Jorge Félix García Velázquez started his return journey from Güira de Melena to his native Puerto Padre, and not only with his personal belongings but also with the will to help his mother and sister and to continue being useful to society.

Puerto Padre, Las Tunas - At that time he received in usufruct 4.3 hectares (ha) and decided to do something almost unheard of in the province of Las Tunas; but he had already experienced it in Havana and his training as an agronomist engineer told him that yes, he could dedicate himself to the cultivation of grapes.

"It was very difficult. The idea was not accepted by my colleagues. Many thought it would be a failure. But I went ahead, keeping in mind what I had learned during my academic training. I planted more than four thousand large grape plants.

Then I had to eliminate that population because it was damaged by fungi. I kept the small ones, which also get sick, but they can recover. Currently, I have 54 plants in production."

Little by little his land - near the José Maceo Urban Basic Secondary School - began to change and Tania, his sister turned into his right arm, helped a lot because she not only helped him physically but also encouraged him to continue when his hopes were diminishing.

"She has a degree in nursing, specializing in the care of pregnant women and newborns; and she has been working in the delivery room for 34 years. Here, she works hard in her limited free time, always putting her love into what she does to achieve the crop with quality. I also count on my wife and my mother, who does some light work.

"There were barely enough resources to get started. I innovated with live moringa poles and bamboo and king grass sticks to make the vineyard and keep it up. I also decided to apply agroecological techniques so as not to depend on anything and to guarantee what I needed.

"Since I graduated in 1991, I have studied a lot; more at this time when I have put all my heart into the activity. It was not easy; but, at last, it is achieved."

Determined not to give up, Jorge Felix designed his logo "with the image of my father becoming a saint, as a tribute to the education of his children. Now the farm and the productions are called San Joaquín, in memory of him, who passed away in 2000".

Its course is multiplied by these times with the approval of a local development project by the Administration Council of Puerto Padre, which was foreseen for 2022 and is advanced because some of the resources required are available.

"We are in the paperwork. Part of the financing has already been released and the first steps are being taken for the construction of a mini-industry that will not only process grapes, so there are months of hard work ahead.

"Now there is half a hectare of vineyards, which should be extended to 1.5 and the rest will be dedicated to fruit trees and vegetables for processing. We plan to plant guava, Annonaceae, coconut, cherry, and other fruit varieties to make juices and preserves.

"The project will employ 12 people, between land care and the mini-industry, and we intend to prioritize women, besides strengthening the commitment to care for the environment.

"Because of the location of the land, adjacent to the mangrove, we belong to Tarea Vida and the farm will be a lung for the city. In addition, we will make vinegar with the by-products of the wine, and what is leftover from these productions will be food for the earthworms and with their hummus, we will fertilize the crops."

San Joaquín grape vinegar has an unequaled flavor, according to those who have tasted it at the Ramón Rodríguez López Credit and Service Cooperative and other places in the northern municipality. And this will surely be the case with the rest of the production when the project is launched.

That is the goal of this producer, who intends to grow more than 3,300 grape plants in two years and take care of them so that they last a long time because if they are given all the cultural attention they can live between 75 and 80 years.

Long live Jorge Félix, the San Joaquin farm, and a dream that will change the lives of many families while contributing to the development of Puerto Padre and the entire territory of Las Tunas.