43 Families Coffee comes from the El Porvenir Coffee Co-operative in the mountains of northwest Nicaragua. Members of this co-op (former Sandinista, Contra and Somoza fighter, all parties to the country’s brutal civil war) are now a model of social reconciliation. United by their poverty, these 43 families grow some of the world’s best organic, shade-grown coffee.
El Porvenir is a two hour, bone jarring, four-wheel-drive trek away from civilization. The 270 people live in a community with no electricity, no telephone, and until late 2009 only rain water. They jointly own one vehicle, a 1972 Ford tractor.
The secret to their specialty Arabica coffee is the volcanic soil, the mountain climate, and their dedication to quality. El Porvenir coffee is grown under migratory bird-friendly, rustic shade, hand picked and completely patio sun-dried.