WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE COFFEE?

We want our community to be thriving in a healthier condition with more abundant resources than the impoverished condition in which we found it. We envision the return of a forest ecosystem to replace the deforested hills. Rushing streams with fish, where now arroyos are dry most of the year. Deep-rooted plants to hold rich soil on steep hillsides where now the gullies deepen with every rain and houses wash down the mountains during hurricanes.

Before we plant the coffee itself, we begin with shade and fruit trees that will protect and enrich the soil, bring songbirds and insects, hold the precious rainfall in their roots, and shelter the coffee plants. Shade trees are a natural match with the organic farming we are modeling. Coffee tastes better when birds sing over it.

Teaching our neighbors to resume "old methods" will help them sustain their farms and provide a safe environment in which to raise their children.