Over 6 years ago, when Caravela Coffee began working with producers in Mexico, Macario stepped up and began to apply the techniques on his coffee trees. As others in the community see his success, they are taking steps to improve their yields and quality
It seems to be a truth, that beautiful coffee often grows in difficult places. As one person said to us, “Sweet Bloom likes coffee that is faraway, hard to get to, and really high.” This is clearly the case for coffee from Macario Garcia in Oaxaca, Mexico.
We leave Oaxaca City in the dark, just before dawn. Barreling down the curvy highway, weaving back and forth, we climb higher and higher into the mountains in the northern part of the state. Eventually the pavement gives way to a rumble tumble dirt road. The recent rains, a little later than usual, have washed ruts into the hard dirt and calla lily filled ditches along the road. We run across a group of community members maintaining the road themselves so they can get the coffee being harvested to the warehouse.
After four or five hours of driving, we pull over to the side of the road, and hike down a steep hillside to Macario’s home. This is the second time we’ve been to see Macario. When we were there in 2022, it was the first time any roaster or customer had ever visited him.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t home. There are some problems in the local municipality, and the elected leader is in town. Macario feels it’s important to be part of that community conversation. He’s a leader, and we’re glad for that. We want that community to thrive in every way possible.
Alongside his sister and father, we walk through the coffee trees. We can see Macario has been working hard to improve his farm. New trees are being planted, established trees are being pruned, and the shade canopy is being extended and cared for. Macario leads in this part of his community as well.
Over 6 years ago, when Caravela Coffee began working with producers in Mexico, Macario stepped up and began to apply the techniques on his coffee trees. As others in the community see his success, they are taking steps to improve their yields and quality.
They already were producing beautiful coffee. Now, their coffee is getting even better, and they are producing more of it. All of this leads to good things for all of us. Producers and their families earn more income, Caravela has more and better coffee to sell to roasters like Sweet Bloom, and we have beautiful coffee to share with you.
Welcome to your beautiful cup of coffee!
