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Morovis.- Félix Esteban Class-Vega is proud to work with the earth. He extracts the ingredients he needs to make his own sofrito and sell fruit pulp from the very crops he sows on his farm in Barrio Morovis Sur.

This is where he manages Agroempresas Hábitat, a project designed by the young agronomist and graduate of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. It aims to not alter the home of some 40 species that are a natural part of this environment which, in turn, mixes in with its daily tasks.

Aware of the challenges that crops face in the mountainous region, Félix Class-Vega not only supplies the country with his citrus, banana and ají dulce (sweet chili pepper) crops, but also takes advantage of the beauty of the countryside to educate about the life of a farmer.

This will be done through tours certified by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, where Félix Esteban will show the particulars of the land and the process that goes from planting the seed to harvesting. Aside from also enjoying the contrasts in the environment.

“My grandfather, Esteban Class, had dedicated himself to this. He passed away a few years ago and he was the only one I’d ever seen tilling the land and I liked that. Since I was a little boy I always planted things at home. Later on, I was inclined to study agronomy. (So,) I began with a transfer program in Utuado,” said the son of Nancy Vega-Marrero and Félix Class-Otero.

It was his father who gave him the eight-acre farm, where he developed his project.

“As soon as I graduated, I had things planted on the farm. We’ve had it since 2011; my dad bought it and gave it to me as a gift. I would come from Mayagüez during the weekends and farmed here. I had ajíes and beans, nothing else,” he said.

However, in his attempt to seek his daily bread, Félix Esteban opted to work in a factory located in Manatí, until Hurricane María devastated his crops on September 20, 2017.

Just as well, he expressed that, “it was not until 2019 that I began to plant in larger quantities. Mostly (planting) passion fruit, lemons and oranges. At the moment, we have passion fruit, bananas, ajíes, lemons, oranges, and a little bit of mandarins and pink grapefruits.”

He also noted that in 2019 they began a project to make homemade sofrito under the Sofrito Hábitat brand, which has a label certifying it is made in Morovis.

The product is made by Félix Esteban and his mother, and “is available in Selectos (supermarkets) in Morovis, Ciales and Orocovis.”

“We also make natural fruit juices: orange, lemon and passion fruit. And we have customers who buy pulp from us; we sell passion fruit, banana, lemon and orange pulp. If you’re in San Juan and you’re going to have a drink or a juice, you should know that it’s made with Morovis passion fruit,” he said.

Meanwhile, he mentioned that the farming operation keeps two full-time employees. When the farm is at its peak production, “it can keep up to 4 part-time employees.”

Class-Vega informed that they host ecotourism events on Saturdays that include “a walk around the farm for approximately one and a half to two hours.”

Along the way, “each crop is explained to you, and its own particular process. It includes product tasting our juices and platanutres (plantain chips); at the area around the creek, we put a small table where we offer refreshments. During the tour, there are some spots to take pictures.”

“Here you will see the crops, an area with laying hens which are kept in a cart with wheels so that they can graze; we move them around and this way we don’t have them in total captivity, but they are free inside of the cart and consume what they find. We also feed them fruits and plantains,” he said.

In addition, “we have over 40 species of birds. In fact, part of the name “Hábitat” is because we have created this bond; we have the farm, but at the same time, we are in harmony with the species (that live in it).”

“We have areas like the garden, which we are trying to attract bees and pollinators to. There are pitirres (gray kingbirds), changos (grackles), different types of pigeons, guaraguaos (red-tailed hawks), parrots, nightingales, woodpeckers, troupials, herons, among others. You can hear them and see them if it’s early in the morning,” he said, highlighting the collaboration of his wife Génesis Santos.

“We want people to see what mountain farming is like. Because agriculture is very different in the south, [which is] all flat, as well as in the northern plains. Here it is more labor-intensive, everything is done by hand, practically nothing can be mechanized. It’s good for people to see and know the work that goes into bringing food to their homes,” he confessed.

The young agronomist’s next goal is to refurbish two buses that he acquired; one to convert it into a small shop and the other into a factory, with the intention of manufacturing his products.

“The goal is to have them working as a small industrial kitchen before the end of the year to make sofrito, juice and platanutres; we also sell tostones (fried green plantains) in bags when we have a lot of plantains,” he said.

“I feel happy doing this. A lot of the time what a farmer does is not appreciated. Although there is a resurgence of appreciation for agriculture, it’s still not enough. Without agriculture there is no life,” he concluded.

For details you can call 787-617-8527 or visit Agroempresas Hábitat’s Facebook and Instagram pages.