Where? San Marcos and Antigua – Guatemala
When? October 5th – 12th (8 days & 7 nights)
or October 16th – 21st (6 days & 5 nights)

Beans for Hope offers direct trade relationships with Guatemalan coffee growers and promotes their coffee here in Saint Louis. Founded by third generation coffee farmer Dr. Wilman Ortega BFH coffee will be bringing down 2 tours this October to participate in the harvest season on the family farm, Finca Morelia. Trips are geared for coffee enthusiasts and one for Baristas.

For more information email sean@beansforhope.com, send me a message here or you can call our office at (314) 725 6770.

You will be hosted by the Ortega family on the family farm. Most meals and travel is included in the price.

These will be incredible trips with opportunities for exploring Guatemalan culture and history.

Beans for Hope Coffee Tour Brochure

Inside of the Coffee Tours Brochure

Photos from our recent project work and letters from staff offering thanks and asking for continued support. Thank you to our friends and partners for your continued support, if you keep buying our coffee we can keep working for change. www.beansforhope.com.

Letters from Staff:

Dear Beans for Hope:

Cordial and affectionate greetings from the leadership, students, and
parents of our school who desire that you achieve success in your commercial
activities and the success that you have already so richly deserved.

By means of this letter and in the name of all the workers, the children and
the parents at the Official Rural School of Mixed Students of Aldea, La
Insustria, we want to express our most sincere gratitude for the help we
have received from your efforts which have responded to the many needs we
have in our location, including the new healthy and environment that our
students now have to help them develop. We hope that you will be blessed by
Most High in order to amplify your educational and community development
projects. Please receive our sincere and grateful thanks, and continue in
your altruistic pursuits.

A thousand thanks.

The Staff

Dear Beans for Hope:

Receive from us, the directors, Students, Alumni, and Parents an
affectionate and Cordial Greeting, and wishes for your commercial success.

By means of this letter and in the name of all those associated with the
Rural Co-ed School of Aldea, La Industria, Guatemala, we ask for your
assistance and help obtain a water tank. This will help us to have a safe
supply of this precious liquid. We know of your personal commitment to
projects such as this and know of your previous generous mission to provide
community projects, such as we’ve already asked for. We are grateful and
confident that you will grant your attention to this present need.

With confidence,

The Staff

+ Beans for Hope = Awesome!

We are very grateful to the local buyers at our neighborhood Whole Foods, particularly Krista and Neil for their enthusiasm and passion for good coffee and a good cause. All our coffee sold at Whole Foods will be wrapped come in our beautiful hand woven textiles to support our Mayan textile co-op.Our exceptionally delicious coffee is available at the Brentwood location near the Galleria Mall.

We are also very excited about the new Whole Foods store opening in Town and Country. Our coffee will also be available at this new location and with the exciting grand opening of this new store we hope to see you there!

St. Louis (Town and Country)
Whole Foods Market
Clayton and Woods Mill Roads
St. Louis, MO
50,000 sq. ft.
Opening date: Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Learn more about the exciting new store opening in Town and Country by clicking here.

Dear Friends,
Thank you for supporting our mission to encourage positive change in the coffee industry and improve conditions in small coffee towns, through your recent purchase of Beans for Hope coffee. I sincerely hope you enjoy our high-quality coffee and would love for your feedback. Please send your comments, suggestions and questions to contact@beansforhope.com .

If you would like to stay informed on our progress, please send us an email at contact@beansforhope.com to sign-up for our monthly e-newsletter (find January’s edition below) that includes upcoming event information, new company developments and tracks our progress in Guatemala. I would also like to invite you to visit our website at www.beansforhope.com.

Thank you again for your contribution, every little bit of support helps us get that much closer to reaching our goal of improving the current trading conditions and supporting the development of small coffee towns in Guatemala.

Sincerely,

Wilman Ortega

Owner & Founder of Beans for Hope
7533 Forsyth
Office: 314 725 6770

contact@beansforhope.com

Thanks to the West End Word coming and chatting and taking some photos of our humble little operation. The article is in the latest West End Word. (click link for full article)

“But the key difference is that while Valdez is a fictional character, Beans for Hope uses imagery of real coffee farmers in its marketing, Ortega said. On the company’s blog, Ortega writes about his trips to Guatemala — he visits about three times a year — and the company is organizing a trip in the fall, during which grocery-store managers, baristas and members of the public can get to know the people who grow Beans for Hope coffee and learn a little more about the origins of their favorite brew.”

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about “point-of-origin” coffee tours, a new trend among fair-trade coffee companies. These tours allow consumers to visit the coffee farms and villages where the coffee is harvested and are very eye-opening because attendees are brought face-to-face with the hardships endured by the farmers and communities.

Not only are these experiences eye-opening, but they also offer some background about the coffee farm, farming process and the area. Many of the tours allow hands-on learning at the farm, allow attendees to participate in good works and offer tours of the countryside or villages.

If this type of trip sparks your interest, look out for our upcoming Coffee Tours scheduled to run from October 2008 – March 2009. Our tours will allow you to explore Guatemala, visit our coffee farms, live every phase of the coffee lifecycle, experience a professional coffee cupping and meet coffee experts! Cost will include all accommodations, welcome dinner, all travel excluding airfare, and tours.

More details will be available this summer, but feel free to contact us at: contact@beansforhope.com for more information.

Find out more about “point-of-origin” coffee tours from the Wall Street Journal article: “Tours to Fair-Trade Farms Help Coffee Sellers Spread Word”

For the last 9 months if you’ve been drinking and enjoying our coffee then please remember we started this company to benefit the farmers that labor so very hard for this pleasure we take for granted. Edwin Martinez writes,

“On February 15, Carlos, the manager of Finca Vista Hermosa, and his son Edwin, were on their way back up to the Finca with supplies and money for payroll. On the way up the mountain, some bandits not from the area took their money and their lives as well.”

Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to the FVH family. Please, please, please, if you can, there is a donation account set up on Paypal, with all funds going to the family left behind.

VISIT: http://fincavistahermosa.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/carlos-garcia-martin-and-edwin-garcia-martin/

and click on the donate button. please.

Much respect to the Barefoot Coffee Roaster Community for their fund raising efforts. You can continue to donate on their website as well.

Carlos leaves behind 11 children.

To learn more:

http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/coffeeatthemoment/02-26-2008

I’ll put it point blank here: It’s specifically because of people like Carlos Martin that you and I get to enjoy some amazing coffees. Without special people like this, not just working the earth but working it well, always learning and always sharing their knowledge – these are the reasons why you and I get to have these absolutely singular moments enjoying great coffee.

http://www.barefootcoffeeroasters.com/2008/02/22/tragedy-at-finca-vista-hermosa/

Carlos Martin and his son Eddie were an amazing team of coffee professionals and our hearts are saddened at their passing. Carlos’ older brother and original farm manager Lencho and Carlos’ son Diego are working with the Martinez family to manage the harvest right now as they are in the middle of the key part of the harvest.

http://fincavistahermosa.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/carlos-garcia-martin-and-edwin-garcia-martin/

Edwin 1991 – 2008. While not the oldest he was the first in his family to go to high school. Ever since he could kick a ball he fearlessly played with people twice his age and is a legendary goalie.

Please forgive our delay in notifying you of this.

Commitment isn’t a dirty word, so we just wanted to float out a reminder if you believe in Beans for Hope’s mission you can join our subscription program and get a pound of premium 100% single Origin Guatemalan coffee EVERY MONTH! Pretty Incredible right?!

All you need do is run over to our website www.beansforhope.com and click on the Buy Coffee button, or maybe just click this link https://www.beansforhope.com/buycoffee.php .

If you love good coffee and change the world one cup at a time, join the family and order a subscription today.

Remember, we pay higher than fair trade prices for our coffee and we donate $1 of every pound sold back to our communities social justice project.

There’s snow in the forecast for this week so we post in hopes of karma reading this entry and bringing and end to the St. Louis winter woes.  We’ve had a great time over the winter at our local farmers markets. We’ve met some wonderful people, producers and supporters alike. But alas Spring time approaches and the Winter markets will be done soon.

If you like local producers and farmers and want to come talk to some people that love coffee and know a little something about the beans come visit us as the last winter farming market dates approach.

St. Louis Community Farmers’ Market St. John’s Episcopal Church 3644 Arsenal St., just west of Grand Blvd.

8:30 a.m. – Noon on second Saturdays of the month:

March 8th. and the again on April 12th! 

Maplewood Winter Farmers’ Market

Schlafly Bottleworks’ Crown Room 7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood

Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

LAST DATE!!!   March 29

Come Join Us and the other farmers for good coffee, jelly, baking, meats and more.