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By Michelle Fish

Last year, Bob and I met Miriam Morales at a Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) tradeshow in Boston. That chance meeting has led to a profound relationship with her family and their coffee farm in Nicaragua.

30% of the beans in the cup of Biggby Best that I am drinking this morning is now sourced from the El Recreo Coffee Estate. Read more about their story here.

Leana Ferrey and Miriam Morales, El Recre Coffee Farm
Leana Ferrey, left, with her daughter Miriam Morales in the African drying beds at the El Recreo Coffee Estate.

Behind the delicious coffee is a wonderful family doing important things to better their community. But CoVid-19 is like a global tsunami… a slow moving wave that will reach all shores on our One Big Island. Not all governments are equally equipped to provide services for their people. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, after Haiti.

We have an update from Miriam about how her family and the people on their farm are weathering this global pandemic, as of last week.

“My family is well. My three brothers and my mom and dad are healthy. Please keep Jorge in your prayers. He is in Belize as a doctor and is attending patients with this virus. He got tested and his test came back negative.
With Nicaragua, the virus is a bit late in getting to our country, but the sad part is the government has not been radical about the strict measures people need to take.
The farm is a bit protected because as you saw it’s far from a city. My parents got all the workers together to teach them about the virus and also give them measures to take so every one is protected. My parents got lots of soaps to give out and masks to wear. They are taking the temperature of anyone that leaves the farm and comes back.
Also we have the nurse on site. This is not harvest time so it is not a lot of people at the farm. We only have around 20 men working right now.
Between Jorge and I we are always scaring my parents with news so that they take this serious even though the government is not doing that there.”

We will keep checking in with Miriam. The people of El Recreo are in our thoughts and in our hearts.

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