A Day of Confluence

Here I sit in a room just outside of Santa Barbara, latin jazz on the tv, a single fluorescent bulb above me, trying to get a handle on all that converged to make this day. No promises but I will try.

Through a series of events so unlikely it defies happenstance but too long to give proper attention to at this late hour, Jacob, Vaughn, Joaquin and I arrived at Cafe Beneficio San Vicente – the dry mill of the Paz family. The Paz family are industrious, determined and warm and they invited us to tour their mill, warehouse and packing facilities. Guided by Benjamin Paz, a handsome and educated young man, we were taken to another facility of theirs: a place formerly owned by a coffee co-op that went under and was now in the possession of the Paz family. They will be developing this location to fully house all of their specialty coffee processing. While we were there, we met one of the most impressive people I have ever come across, Manuel Tavora. He was welding a piece of machinery that I recognized as a coffee pulper. It turns out that from a few pictures, Manuel built this huge machine by hand (except for the motor assembly which was bought), welding the most intricate steel work I have ever seen up close with absolute symmetry and precision. There were at least a couple hundred welds, all pf them super clean. He was a large man with bright intelligent eyes that were green like the rain that gathers in a rock quarry and ringed with gold. He is a man full of skill and brotherhood and I felt privileged to meet him.

Manuel - fabricating dreams

At some point during all of these amazing coffee processing sights, Benjamin motioned upward and said, “See that cloud resting between those two mountaintops? We are going there if you like, to a farm or two.” I was struck when he told us that the farms were Nacimiento and Cielito Lindo, two coffees that we at Safehouse have revered since we first tasted them.

Angel Paz, Hunt Jacob and Benjamin Paz (l to r) at Beneficio San Vicente - many thanks to Benjamin and the whole Paz family for giving so much of themselves to us during our visit

After a climb up the mountain in low geared 4 wheel drive (which a novella in itself), we reached the end of the road at the front door of a stout, barrel-chested man called Jobneel. Now I cannot fully relate it to you now, but this is a distant and inaccessible farm that few people are likely to set foot on. It was very hard to reach. We will be posting a farm and family spotlight on Nacimiento and Jobneel on dirtyCup.com after we are back home, but let me say that Jobneel is the epitome of work ethic and I cannot wait to go back, hopefully for harvest next February.

Jobneel on the mountainside of his amazing farm, Finca Nacimiento

After leaving Jobneel’s, all of us plus Benjamin ate fish on the banks of Lake Yajoa and shared pictures of our families. I showed him my sweet love, Amanda and my beautiful son, Ira. It wasn’t like when you look at someone’s pictures on face book. I was really showing him my family and he was really looking at them with wonder and appreciation in his eyes…  In 11 years of marriage, I have never been away from my wife for a single night – until this trip. Showing the pictures to my new friend, I was suddenly overtaken with emotion and with not a little effort managed to not completely dissolve right in front of him.

We finished eating and took Benjamin back to San Vicente to say our goodbyes. It was difficult and we didn’t want to leave. Upon walking up to hug Ben goodbye and on the verge of tears again, I told him that I have fallen in love with his beautiful country. He looks back at me with the same intensity and says, “It is your country now, too, Hunt.”

Not photoshopped at all - yes, this is Honduras, just outside of Pena Blanca.