Our coffee team is made up of some absolutely incredible women. From time to time, we'd like to begin telling you a bit more about them individually.
Let us introduce you to Mariela.

With much sacrifice, Mariela obtained her high school degree and has managed to continue studying at the university. Thanks to her work at San Lazaro, she is currently achieving her dream of studying law so she can care for those most in need.
Mariela recently had the privilege of being able to share her life experience at our ribbon cutting for Lazarus Academy, including all she has had to go through to get where she is. Her speech was given in front of media, members of the community and students. How awesome is it to see her inspiring the next generation to rise above their circumstances and succeed?
Her team members say Mariela shows effort and dedication in her studies as well as in her work. They describe her as a cheerful young woman, always willing to support her colleagues and the farm, dynamic and positive in all she does. Way to go, Mariela! Thank you for the great example you set for all of us.
For years, small coffee farmers in the La Botija Mountains of southern Honduras have faced the same problem. They could grow good coffee and work hard to care for their land, but when harvest came, they had very few options for selling it. The farms are small and scattered throughout the mountains, the roads are difficult, and many buyers simply didn’t find it worthwhile to make the trip.
While our farm provides year-round employment for our permanent team, harvest season creates a need for additional hands. During those busy months, women and men from neighboring communities join us to help bring in the crop. It's one of the ways our farm creates opportunity that extends well beyond our own workforce.
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.