Several years ago, Gustavo Alfaro showed up on our doorstep without a place to stay and without a plan to get back to his return flight. He wasn't sure if we were going to be there, but he knew he wanted to meet us and luckily he did. We found him a place to stay, and after learning about Hacienda Santa Rosa, his farm in Huehuetenango, we helped him get back to New York so he could make that return flight. That's how Gustavo is - he thinks big, dreams big, and takes big risks. Everything that he's done has been of that ethos - from his mural project, to the way he organizes his farm into distinct microplots with forest corridors- it's not about what other people are doing, it's about going for this big moon shot to do something completely different and special. 

Buena Esperanza is a perennial Cup of Excellence winning plot with great elevation(1900m), mundo nuovo varietals, rustic hardwood shade, and wonderfully rich soils. The entire plot is surrounded by 100 meters of untouched forest save for a small path in and out. It has so many ideal inputs to grow great coffee, it could be a case study.

Buena Esperanza is one of several plots that we get from Gustavo. It's one of the ones he's most proud of because it reminds him of his father and the risks he took by coming back to guide the farm. The name was literally nested in his hopes for a better future. Gustavo is emblematic of a common thread among many of the producers we work with: their love for their farms comes through their family and their memories of childhood. Beyond, winning competitions, coffee, to them, is more personal. Success in the farm is about honoring those that came before. That's why we're a unique fit for Gustavo - we're perpetually focused on making coffee better through solid farm relationships. We're able to bring a directness that pairs well with Gustavo and an innovativeness that he seems to really enjoy.