Our vision for Zion Coffee Co is to advance the lives of small coffee farmers and their surrounding communities. Since our launch just a little over a month ago, we have been overwhelmed by the support of those who connect with that vision and who are willing to be part of a community gathered around the love of people and coffee.
As we’ve shared in the past, our first partnerships are with small coffee farmers in Guatemala. We are excited to give you an update on some of the projects Zion is supporting in the Huehuetenango and Antigua regions, working directly with multiple coffee coops.
Our initial project was to provide funding toward microloans and seed capital for equipment and tools for the farmers of Huehuetenango. Not long after working with the coop in that region, we were informed of needs in the Santa Anita community in Antigua.
There, our first project was providing repairs for their wet-mill coffee processing facility (beneficio humedo). While the farmers are struggling with roya (a leaf fungus, causing rust in crops) in this year’s harvest, they are hopeful and anticipating an increase in production during and following the 2014-15 harvest. A functioning beneficio will be critical in allowing the farmers to wet-mill large volumes of coffee onsite.
With Zion’s support, the following repairs have been made to the beneficio:
- Partial replacement of corrugated tin roof
- Partial replacement of rotten support beams
- Replacement of PVC tubing (for passing of water and coffee)
- Cleaning and repainting of fermentation and coffee washing tanks
- Connection of electrical supply to power pulpero (wet-milling machine)
A second project we invested in was the construction of the dry store building (bodega). This will allow for onsite storage of green coffee and to prevent issues with mold due to excess humidity. Here are some pictures of the new bodega you were a part of building to support these farmers.
We are truly humbled to share this progress with you. Remember, with each bag of coffee you purchase, you too are a part of these coffee farmers’ life stories!
Stay tuned for future updates on how the community of Zion is impacting the lives of small coffee farmers in Guatemala.
We love people. We love coffee. Welcome to Zion.