CHIAPAS COWBOY

For us, it's all about the people. And this coffee comes from really, really good people.

While we source coffee from across the globe, always on the search to befriend incredible family farmers who are trusting the earth around them to produce some of the most incredible coffee on the planet, this coffee comes from pretty dang close to our home in Austin.

Tenejapa is located in Southern Mexico—just a 27 hour drive from our roasting facility— the same distance as Austin to New York. This might not seem that close, but when you consider how long the adventure is from Ethiopia or Peru to Texas, we find it pretty amazing for this coffee to simply get loaded onto a truck and arrive the next day in our warehouse. This ensures some immaculate quality.

Beyond the proximity, Tenejapa and their coffee growers are unique and exciting for myriad ways. For one, the group of 12 members, led by a gent called Juan Lopez Meza, is part of a non-profit organization called Ichtus which focuses on running a low tuition boarding school who's goal is to educate and create leaders in Mexico. They have a 90% graduation rate which is double that of the Mexcian average.

And what makes them even more unique? Spanish isn't their first language! As an isolated town of Mayan decent, the locals speak an indigenous langauge called Tzeltal and continue many of the wonderful Mayan customs of the region. 

Perhaps we're crazy, but we tend to think that the heritage of the people and the region is reflected in each cup of their coffee. It's common to consider terroir when understanding a crop's flavors and nuance, but perhaps the history of the people instills just as much character.