From Field to Family: A Story of Perseverance
Our friends Lucia and Santos are small coffee producers in the community of Cacamuyá near our coffee farm in Honduras. They have been married for 30 years and have been blessed with 8 children and 11 grandchildren.
The land the family lives on is also a blessing; it was inherited by Lucia from her father and includes a small coffee farm on which the family makes its living. Lucia meticulously manages the coffee, keeping up with production by observing plant growth and making detailed notes on her notepad.
With few employment opportunities in the community, and lacking a formal education, life has not been easy for Santos. From a young age, he worked tirelessly, often receiving meager wages and enduring mistreatment. However, he has always been hopeful and held onto a big vision for his family. He dreamed that they could have something of their own, and over time this determination and effort gradually paid off.
Lucia and Santos’ first achievement was building a home for their family. With the little coffee they harvested and a lot of careful planning, they saved up little by little. This physical home provides shelter from the elements and meets the growing needs of their large family.
The couple’s second achievement is selling their coffee annually as part of our San Lazaro Coffee harvest. The family tends their coffee plants with love because they depend on them for survival. And thanks to the guaranteed sale of their harvest each season, the family’s basic needs are met, and they can keep moving forward and fulfill even more dreams.
This is significant, because in the past the family’s only other option for selling their coffee was to a local cooperative that historically has paid very unfair prices for coffee and oftentimes takes up to eight months to pay farmers. This leaves many farming families in the region in a precarious situation financially.
Our coffee farm is proud to purchase Lucia and Santos’ coffee each year at an above market price, without a middleman, and with timely payment. Because of this commitment, the couple has made new plans to expand their coffee farm.
We are delighted to be able to support the Rivera family in this way, and we absolutely couldn’t do it without you. Because of your generosity in purchasing San Lazaro Coffee, the family tells us that they are blessed. They know that when they put their trust in God, He will always provide, even in ways which they could not have imagined.
To support small producers like Lucia and Santos, share the San Lazaro story with someone else today - or even better, send them a bag of coffee.
Leave a comment
Also in San Lázaro Coffee Blog
Unity Forged In Fire
On the night of April 30, flames appeared on the mountain that San Lazaro Coffee calls home. What began as an intentional act of arson quickly became a threat in the peak of Honduras’ dry season. After nearly five months without measurable rain, the mountain was a tinderbox, and the fire spread quickly through the steep terrain surrounding our coffee farm.
When God Calls You Into Service
For nine years, Candida Rosa Benítez walked the paths of Finca San Lázaro with quiet faithfulness. What may have looked like ordinary work was, in reality, the steady unfolding of something much greater.
More Than Coffee: How Your Purchase Helps Cultivate Dignity at San Lázaro Coffee
At San Lázaro Coffee, coffee is a tool for transformation. While we are committed to quality, sustainability, and responsible farming, our deeper purpose is in people. This vision was birthed by Mission Lazarus, whose 25-year presence in Honduras has shaped our commitment to holistic, dignity-centered impact.