In the 1970s, Alberto turned the farm into a coffee plantation, making it the main income source. In 1999, facing low coffee prices, he invested in a mill to enhance quality and pioneered alternative processing methods like Honey and Natural. At Hacienda Sonora, hand-picked cherries are soaked in water to separate any floaters, then dried with the beans still inside the fruit. They are spread on a black tarp over grass for 12 days, covered at night to maintain low temperatures, preserving the coffee's quality. After drying, the beans rest in a warehouse for 3 days before a final mechanical drying, ensuring uniformity without exceeding 35C. Once humidity hits 10.5%, they rest for 2 months before sorting by weight, screen size, density, and color. Don Alberto demonstrated that unique coffee varieties can enhance flavor complexity. Today, Hacienda Sonora has over 20 different varieties across 80 hectares of coffee and is a welcoming spot for coffee enthusiasts.