Tips for a Cause, Finca La Esperanza

No penny put in our tip jar goes to waste. But, we don’t ever keep them for ourselves - we give them to worthy causes. For example, our tips from the past 12 months have been going to Finca La Esperanza, a farm in Guatemala that grows some of the beans we roast right here at Fika Coffee.

Meet Aurelio Villatoro. He’s the farm manager of the twelve farms that comprise Finca La Esperanza in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Finca la Esperanza has been in the Villatoro family since 1956 when Aurelio’s father, Heleodoro, purchased it. At that time, the nearest washing station was 14 hours away and accessible only by mule. Aurelio’s father made construction of a washing station priority and, in the process of building it, forged the first paved road their community had access to.

With coffee as the catalyst, Heleodoro brought big, good change to the people of his community. As the current owner, Aurelio has diligently carried on this tradition of coffee as catalyst for change. He sees Guatemala’s coffee as an export that can have a radical, positive effect on his community. Every aspect of his twelve farms are rooted in that conviction. When we heard that he had undertaken the construction of a large storage building that would streamline farm operations and boost quality control, thereby upping production and opening doors for the betterment of his community, we knew we wanted to get on board.

The construction of the Villatoro Bodega Project has already begun. And we are excited to throw our efforts toward its completion. Our goal is to raise $10,000 and, with your help, we are doing just that. To date we have raised over $8,000 from that little tip jar. We think that’s pretty impressive for a little coffee shop in Lutsen.

So, when you toss a tip in our jar, know that you are not only showing appreciation for what we’re doing as a coffee shop, but for what Aurelio and his family of farmers are doing.

From all us at Fika Coffee and everyone at Finca la Esperanza: THANK YOU!

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In March Colin and I (Josh) will be traveling down to Guatemala to check in on the Bodega Project, visit farms, taste & purchase coffee, and continue to build relationships with the families who are producing the coffee we are roasting and enjoying. Follow along with us on Instagram or Facebook.

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Our past tip jar project supported coffee scouts in Burundi. To read more about the project (and to find out what a coffee scout is), check out Helping Our Brew to do More Good.