Panama, story 1 of 3: Pay attention to the people
Three stories from Panama, one lesson: pay attention. This is the first.
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Mr. X left a career with international coffee companies in the US and went back to Honduras to continue his family’s legacy: growing coffee and changing lives.
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Picture this: 3 days at World of Coffee in Panama, over 20,000 visitors from all over the world, stands everywhere, one big stage for the World Barista Championship… and so much coffee to taste!
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Between tastings, I visited producers. That’s where I met Mr. X, a 4th-generation producer. His goal: improve lives, farm responsibly, and make high-quality coffee. I thought, great, but how?
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His answer was simple: three pillars, none of them negotiable. People. Planet. Quality. His business runs on all three. They complement each other; they don’t compete.
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People. Mr. X built a school. He provides free education, meals and school supplies to over 50 kids in his community. 50 children who will start seeing the world a little differently thanks to this farm and this vision.
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Planet. Several certifications for responsible farming back his work.
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Quality. I tasted a Paraneima, a coffee originally from Honduras, for the first time. It spoke for itself.
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One more thing.
Do you remember the first time you did something new?
On this trip, some of Mr. X’s crew took an elevator or boarded a plane for the first time.
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That’s what paying attention to people looks like.
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The next story is just as good. A hint? Everything relies on one coffee maker.
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