STOPPING WAS THE BEGINNING
In 2009 I was working for a multinational. Everything was pace, targets, meetings. The company was sold and I decided to take a break. I went to Nicaragua for a year to help with social projects. It was a change of pace, and of life. And it was right around then that my family bought a farm in Panama.
BEFORE WE ROASTED, WE WERE ALREADY ON THE FARM
The farm was in Altos del Colorado, on the slopes of the Barú volcano. It was called Barú Black Mountain. We didn't know much, but we dived straight in. We got to know the families who worked there, we understood the land, the process, and what it takes to bring in a good harvest. All of that changed the way I understood coffee.
THE COFFEE CAME LATER
When I came back, I didn't have a business idea. But I was clear that I wanted to do things differently.
In 2012 we opened our first coffee shop in El Albir with one idea in mind: serve quality coffee, with care, and tell its story from the origin. Because we had been there.
Today we're still in Panama. Now at Finca Santa Teresa, also in the family. We're still in direct contact with the crop and with the people who make it possible.
IN THE END, IT'S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE
I've always thought coffee isn't just about the product. It's about relationships, who you do it with and how you do it.
We like working with people who share that way of seeing things. We support projects that fit our values. Simply because I believe you have to be there when it matters.