It's our Birthday, Sweet 16!
16 years ago this week, June 29, 2004, San Lazaro Coffee was born. Our founder, Jarrod Brown, was a very young missionary that for some reason had this crazy idea that gainful employment, specifically for women, would do more to transform a life, now and for eternity, than giving things away.
There are so many great memories driving into the remote jungle village of Las Pitas when the road was hardly a road. Confession, our coffee has come a long ways since our humble beginnings. Honestly, it tasted really really bad back then. We had no idea what we were doing but very nice friends and supporters bought the coffee nonetheless.
And just a while back one of those great friends, gifted me back one of her purchases from way back then! (Evidence that the word was out on the quality back then since she still hadn't used the coffee.). Today it's far more than a group of 20 women roasting poor quality coffee over a fire in a metal drum.
Today, San Lazaro Coffee is 20 women led by their committed leader, our farm manager,Nohelia Hernandez, taking care of a 400 acre piece of land in the La Botija Mountains.
The quality nowadays is exceptional and we're blessed to have great retail partners like YOU!!
As well as our roasting and distribution partners including:
Rob Webb founder of Just Love Coffee Roasters
Ryan O'Rourke, founder of Ironclad Coffee Roasters
Jason Pearl founder of Roasted Pearl Coffee
Matt Holley from Mugs Coffeehouse
Scarlett Rea Lyons founder of Lyon's Coffee Roasters
KeHE Food Distributors and the KeHE Cares Foundation
Carson Parodi from Mill47 Coffee,
Erin McAtee founder of E&B Coffee Roasters
Roberto Barr founder of OpDeployed
Together we are partnering to cultivate dignity and purpose now and for eternity on a remote mountain top, through a coffee farm!
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Also in San Lázaro Coffee Blog
Fortunes of the Land Restored
We thank God that not a single person was injured, not a single structure was lost, and all of our coffee was spared. It was literally as if there was a wall around our coffee, the fire came right to the edge of the fields and didn’t cross over. Nor did the old tress that shade our coffee get burned. We don’t have an explanation, other than God protected this business that is doing so much to transform lives now, and for eternity, on this mountain.
Coffee trees in our region bloom once a year, in mid to late April. For only about 24 hours the mountain looks almost as if it has snowed and then quickly it starts to go away. And almost like a sign from God, the bloom started on much of our farm yesterday. These coffee plants remind me of how God can make all things new, as it says in Jeremiah 33:11 “For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.”
