BEAN AROUND THE WORLD’S SCHOOL IN GUATEMALA

We are proud to support Escuela Privada Finca Carrizal, a remote school in built by Bean Around The World in 2007.

MARCH 2018

We made our first trip to Finca Carrizal, some 7 hours east of Guatemala City high into the mountains within view of Honduras.

The Bean Around The World Roastery has long made a point of connecting to the people who grow the coffees they carry. From these relationships, conversations that go beyond coffee come to life and real change is made possible.

Back in 2007, The Bean asked Ricardo Zelaya—a friend and producer of Santa Clara coffee from Antigua, Guatemala—what his community needed most and his answer was a school for their children.

Many plantations are located in rural areas where travel to school becomes a barrier to education. For some kids, the distance was far enough that they couldn’t go to school at all. In 2008 we decided to work with Zelaya to build an elementary/middle school for the kids living on Finca El Carrizal.

Maureen, Mike, and Chelsea visited both Santa Clara Estate farm in Antigua and Finca Carrizal in the spring of 2017. Generously hosted by Ricardo, Katia, and their team, we were able to get an amazing look at how the coffee in your cup makes the long journey from a protected seedling buried in nutrient rich sand to a perfect green bean loaded for transport to Victoria.

Even more fulfilling was seeing first hand, the school Bean Around The World has built at Finca Carrizal. The classrooms were full of life and learning and the impact of supporting this community was in plain view. We are proud to serve the coffees produced by Ricardo Zelaya Coffee and thank our customers for supporting our work of giving back.

ON THE GROUND IN GUATEMALA

The Bean Around The World Roastery team created an amazing video featuring the school and our longtime partner, fourth generation coffee producer in Antigua, Ricardo Zelaya.