The last bits of S4P’s coffee harvest have been sold and collected, bringing the season to an official close. In one sense, the harvest was good to the last drop — but that doesn’t mean every drop was high quality! The final sales included green coffee that had to be picked just to clean the farm, plus what Brandy referred to as “the trash” – the really, really bad coffee.
Even so, this year’s harvest was nothing short of a comeback story. After several years of setbacks — including a devastating blight and a fire that wiped out acres of coffee — the farm not only recovered from last season’s deficit but even turned a small profit. It was a victory no one could guarantee just a short time ago.
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Martir and his family |
Though he’d worked with Allen for years on construction and general projects, Martir had extensive knowledge of coffee farming. So when Brandy asked, “Martir, it looks like it’s just the two of us. Can you take care of the farm?”— Martir didn’t hesitate.
Turns out, he had his own small farm and knew exactly what to do. Even better, he was such a well-liked guy that recruiting workers for the harvest became much easier.
There was just one small hitch.
Like many workers in the area, Martir didn’t know how to drive.
Cue the real-life (slightly dramatized) transcript from a year and a half ago:
Trish (calling Brandy): “Can Martir drive a truck?”
Brandy: “No. Martir doesn’t know how to drive.”
Trish: “Well, he’s driving now.”
Brandy: “…¡Ay caramba!”
(Okay, Brandy probably didn’t say ¡Ay caramba!, but just go with it.)
Brandy: “I’ll teach him.”
And teach him he did! Martir turned out to be a natural, picking it up in just 15 minutes. Since then, he’s mastered every machine on the farm just as quickly.
Now, he’s tackling the latest challenge: spraying the plants to keep a returning fungus at bay. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem as severe this time, and all signs point to a strong harvest next year. Despite being the dry season, unexpected rains have helped the trees flourish, covering them in lush green leaves and delicate white flowers—a promising sight for what’s to come.
And this time, Martir already knows how to drive.
Here’s to next year’s harvest!
- posted by Christi