"Its amazing what you can afford if you share Knowledge."-
On a recent trip to Costa Rica one of our support staff stated it's amazing what we can afford if we just share knowledge and it has resonated with me ever since. Coffee along with its pride and tradition needs community. No one meets over a cup of coffee to celebrate failures or disconnect friendships, instead it is a building block of friendship and a free ticket to explore the world up by geography. Coffee needs a great supporting cast to bring to life the great genetic material, soil composition, and plant nurturing. This knowledge really comes from sharing proven practices and allowing the coffee tree to be a great mother for its fruit. Just like every job and productive group I have been a part of- teaching, coaching, accountability, and integrity were the most common themes in every conversation amongst farmers and agronomist alike.
Now, going to Coffee Origin with its caring people and culture was humbling enough on its own. Every day one of my most overwhelming challenges was to truly listen and appreciate each moment as I wanted to take so many notes and document photos to show pride and joy each farmer wanted to share. When someone is practically donating happiness it is truly hard to listen instead of celebrating and this listening was totally different, it was truly listening with empathy.
All in all listening gives respect and listening really gave me the capacity to collect the data I needed and I didn't have to write it down all I had to do was interpret it back from the heart. The journey that I am sharing with you today is what each Day meant to me down in Central America.
My shared experience started with the sense of commitment. Each farmer and the support staff were ordinary people with talent to literally change the world. The farmers stood right in the center of possibility and showed up passionately and fearlessly. They did not want to pick coffee on the plateau of a hill instead they behaved masterfully at the top of the mountain.
The greatest message I received on this journey was that of integrity. It was not only what I heard, it was also what I saw the farmer do with his hands! Each farmer played great at the fundamentals, it wasn't about the quantity of the work it was about the true quality and commitment that was shared throughout the work.
This deep emotional experience made me realize sharing coffee at its core really sparked relationships. It was not just the relationships I gained during my time in Costa Rica, it was every connection that I have had over coffee since my first coffee tasting in 2004.
I truly realize embarking on this journey definitely was not the pinnacle, however it was a midway point on my journey that truly carved out authentic excellence and shaped my imagination into what it is today.
