While not everyone is a coffee drinker, almost everyone who hears this story learns how just being a conscientious consumer can change the lives of a community.
In the small town of Salvador Urbina, Chiapas, Mexico, where they grow arabica and robusta coffee, life is much better than in 2001. Back then, the price they were getting for a bag of coffee was about $30, and today, they are getting $160 for that same size bag.
When you can help a community by just giving the farmers in that community the ability to buy a coffee roaster changes their lives forever.
They repaid that loan to the group of ecumenical churches that gave them $20,000. Now they are taking care of that community in so many ways.
Those small storefronts are full of supplies because those in the community can now afford to buy from them.
Coffee is the most labor-intensive crop one can grow. From the time of just planting a seed to your first harvest can take three years. Once your plants are ready to harvest, it can take a few months to finish the harvest and weeks to de-pulp, dry, husk, and then roast the coffee.
Every day while I was in Salvador Urbina, my host Pelayo spread the Robusto coffee to dry it before going to the roaster.
Just three years ago, since I visited the community, I could see changes. Most of all, I saw more laughter and smiles than even before. The reason was they were able to live as families in the community.
