This spring marked the end of another sourcing season through Central America, with stops in Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. While every trip is different, they all have one thing in common: reconnecting with the producers who make Verve's coffees possible. My final stop was Honduras—a place that will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the destination of my very first origin trip when I became a coffee buyer, and the first coffee farm I ever stepped onto belonged to Arturo Paz in Santa Bárbara. Since then, I've returned to Santa Bárbara seven times, and somehow the excitement never fades. People often ask what a coffee buyer actually does on origin trips. The answer changes every day. One morning might be spent around a cupping table tasting dozens of coffees, deciding which lots are destined for blends and which deserve to stand on their own as single-origin offerings. The next day we're driving into the mountains to visit producers, walking their farms together, and talking through everything from weather patterns to processing decisions to the challenges each harvest brings. Those conversations are just as important as the coffees themselves. One of my favorite days on this trip took us hiking through Santa Bárbara National Forest to the natural spring that supplies the water Arturo uses at his wet mill to wash his coffee. It was a reminder that every cup starts long before roasting. Water quality, elevation, farming decisions, and years of experience all play a role in shaping what eventually ends up in your cup. Trips like these are my favorite part of the job. Every visit deepens the relationships we've built over more than a decade, and every season brings something new to learn. Even after seven trips to the same place, I still leave feeling inspired by the people behind the coffees we share. |
