Finca San Jose de las Nubes: Coffee from the Clouds
When we looked at the origins of coffee and the various paths taken to get the beans into popular culture around the world, we were mostly considering the historical elements of where our coffee comes from. However, things get much more personal when looking into today's coffee production world and, more specifically, where we get the beans that we roast at Fortuna.
There are centuries of tradition and experience behind every burlap sack that shows up in our roasting room. Expertise is passed down from generation to generation, and the quality that comes as a result of tempered wisdom is evident in the product. Going further, it's important to consider that there is a story attached to every bag of beans. One such story, belonging to the Nicaraguan coffee farm Finca San Jose de las Nubes, inspires each of us at Fortuna every day.
If you follow us on Instagram, you may have already seen a few images from Finca San Jose de las Nubes. The pictures we've been showing off belong to the man whose life this story revolves around (and we're of course thankful for his photography skills!).
Bayardo Reyes was raised on a coffee farm in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Note here that the coffee farm he grew up on is not the one in the images; Bayardo's adolescence was spent on a farm that his grandfather had built way back in the 1920's. Business was booming, the coffee was excellent, and the family was excited for the future. No one could have predicted that the tumultuous political climate of Nicaragua would soon change everything for this and many other hard-working families.
At the tail end of the 1970's, a political group known as the Sandinistas took power in Nicaragua. The following years saw numerous changes in the country, and unfortunately the family farm started by Bayardo's grandfather was not immune. All seemed lost when the Sandinistas confiscated the farm and split the land among several peasants.
In an effort to distance her son from the growing and, at times, dangerous conflict seeping through Nicaragua, Bayardo's mother gave him a chance at a new life in the United States. Now living with his aunt in Florida, Reyes determined that his next course of action would be to join the US Army. Serving his adoptive country filled Bayardo with pride and a strong sense of resolve, though he found himself longing more and more every day to rebuild what his family lost in Nicaragua.In 1991, after saving a large portion of his salary and preparing for an inevitable return to his home country, Bayardo's mother sent word of a 150 acre plot of land available in Matagalpa's cloud forests... not far from the family's original farm. Reyes purchased the land and quickly broke ground on what would become Finca San Jose de las Nubes.
Turning Finca San Jose de las Nubes into a successful coffee farm wasn't a project for one man, though. The most important goal in Reyes' mind was, and still is, a completely selfless one; to offer work to his fellow countrymen and improve the lives of those around him. While he spends a fair portion of his time in the United States working for the Army, Bayardo keeps a close watch over the daily activities of the farm and provides all that he can to make Finca San Jose de las Nubes a welcoming, encouraging, productive, happy place.
The farm started out completely void of any type of structures. No buildings were to be found anywhere on the property, as is to be expected when purchasing a large swath of land in the forest. Reyes' first task was to build a sort of campus including housing for workers, facilities for production, and even school buildings to promote education of the employed families and their children (with teacher included!). In the interest of self-sufficiency, Bayardo installed solar panels and wind turbines to provide power. Water recycling systems were installed to improve the toilet facilities and general sanitation throughout the farm. A professional cupping specialist was brought over to teach the importance of different elements of coffee production and improve overall quality.
Finca San Jose de las Nubes exports some of the most delicious coffee in the world. That's certainly our opinion here at Fortuna, where we receive the coffee in direct trade. That belief seems to be shared by many around the world, though, as Bayardo's coffee has been garnering a lot of well-deserved attention. With such an inspiring and selfless story, he's entirely deserving of all of the praise.Reyes has said that he hopes his coffee will continue to sell well so that he is able to fund more projects for the community. The school building and new kitchen facility are big steps, and were made possible through Bayardo's hard work and passion for quality coffee. Las Nubes' history serves to inspire our work ethic at Fortuna every day, and we hope that it will do the same for those that are fortunate enough to learn of the dedication and ambition that went into making the farm a reality. We're thankful for all that Bayardo does for the coffee industry and the communities back in his home country, and are endlessly proud to be a small part of his journey by roasting Finca San Jose de las Nubes' high quality, well-loved beans.
- Griffin Thomas
Marketing & Communications Manager
Fortuna Enterprises, LLC
Fortuna Enterprises - Want it all? We have it all!
Established in 2000, Fortuna Enterprises is the consummate leader in providing complete and comprehensive solutions for all of your coffee shop needs. Located in Greensboro, NC, Fortuna excels in unparalleled customer service by offering specialty roasted small-batch coffee, a fully stocked warehouse, imports, design, equipment repair, consulting, barista training, and more!
We are compelled to be the unsurpassed authority for all coffee shop requirements. We use this drive to continue our extensive research in carefully selecting only the highest quality coffees, equipment, syrups and other coffee shop necessities. Our products have a proven record of premium industry performance and unmatched reliability. We buy large quantities from our suppliers so we are in turn able to negotiate extremely competitive pricing for our customers.
We look forward to hearing from you about how we can take you from concept to completion!
