Following a frustrating week of dealing with endless government bureaucracy, dead ends, and unabashed uncertainty, Israel whom had already been feeling under the weather, began to feel a deadening wave of resignation. "I'm getting older", he thought aloud. He punctuated his plans with, "That is--if we're able to do coffee this year". Like many other farmers in the mountains of Adjuntas, who rely on electricity to process their coffee cherries, Israel had no idea when government vehicles would be able to make it to his farm and cut through the fallen trees to reach the destroyed power lines. For weeks he had been asking around to see if any locals had CATerpillar machines that could clear his trails so that when (more realistically, if) people came to repair is his power lines, they could reach them without obstruction and delays. Unfortunately, with countless others in his same predicament, most estimates were to long or uncertain. Finally, a local father and son team reached out to Israel and said they would come by to clear the trails. Though government has often been a story of "too little, too late" in respect to their Hurricane response, the outpouring of kindness, compassion, altruism and community displayed by the residents of the two neighboring mountain towns of Castaner and Adjuntas has been not only inspiring, but essential in these hard times. In 3 hours, the men and their machine completed work that may have taken weeks by sheer manpower alone. When they finished, Israel invited the men up to try some chocolate and coffee. He payed them the agreed upon $300 and tipped an extra $100 for their great work and willingness to travel to this remote farm.
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After another morning run, I returned to the farm and found Israel ready for his first cup of coffee. After planning out the days agenda with Sandra and Israel over coffee, Israel and I set out for the town of Castaner in the neighboring mountains.
We drove to the agricultural supply store and picked up some fertilizer. Our next stop was down the road at Casa Castaner, a low income housing project primarily occupied by abused or widowed women. For years, Israel has maintained a mutually beneficial relationship in which he pays the women to rigorously hand sort his green bean coffee. This gives the women, otherwise dependent entirely on government transfer payments and food stamps, a way to gain supplemental income and a sense of personal dignity. After picking up two 30lbs bags from the women, we stopped by a popular Panaderia (bakery) & Restaurant. Here, I could see that they sold a local brand of coffee by the pound for $3.99. This alone clearly demonstrated to me that the coffee regardless of its quality (or lack thereof), was not produced in Puerto Rico. Any coffee grown in Puerto Rico could not possibly be sold for such a low price, as basic common sense, adherence to minimum wage laws, and knowledge of production costs would dictate. On Thursday, I woke up at 5am and crept out onto the front deck. Laying in the hammock and looking out at the 360 degree foggy mountain view, I researched some of the multitudes of things I had taken notes on from the day prior. However, as the sun rose by 5:40am, I was compelled to stop and take in the view. After going for a run through the mountain trails which extend far over to another mountain top, I returned to find Israel eager and ready to begin the day-- though not before a cup of coffee, of course! This morning, I told Sandra and Israel I would make coffee for them by pourover. When I came in on Wednesday, I brought them a few coffees from one of my favorite shops from home: Neat Coffee in Darien, Connecticut. The coffee was roasted by Head of Coffee at Neat, Kyle Bellinger but also produced by a farm owned by himself and Jose Losada in Colombia. Luckily, I brought along my Stag kettle, by Fellow-- my single favorite piece of coffee equipment, the counter balanced handle ensures a consistent flow rate while the built-in thermometer allows one to pour at optimal temperature for extraction.
After arriving at Sandra Farms around 6am, Sandra and Israel treated me to a tasting of their naturally processed coffee as well as their proprietary chocolate made from the cocoa that their farm produces and mixed with their coffee. As Israel explained, they dry a portion of their coffee using the "natural process", which is also referred to as "dry process", While more labor-intensive and necessitating greater scrutiny or attention to detail over the drying process, they believe allowing the beans to dry within the original coffee cherry provides a sweet, fruity taste that is well worth the effort.
Prior to Hurricane Maria, Israel employed 5 full-time workers. One longtime friend and worker, Carmelo Rodriguez lived in a small structure on the farm. However, the storm destroyed the building, leaving it entirely uninhabitable. Though things may appear to have gotten better, once you reach Sandra and Israel's home, they--like many other residents of Adjuntas, are still without power. Creative, resourceful, and resilient, they run their home for most of the day entirely on solar energy. To take hot showers and to operate their torrefacción (roastery), they use a gas powered generator. Before leaving New York and heading to Sandra Farms, where I'll be staying with my gracious host and friend, Israel I sat down with my grandfather, Hector Borrero. A child of the great depression in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Hector grew up on one of the island's largest farms with his grandparents and cousins. His grandfather, the farm owner, was an immigrant from Spain. Here, Hector walks me through an agricultural history of Puerto Rico in the 20th and 21st century from his perspective.
DOMENICO CELLI: THE COLLECTIVE PERSPECTIVE PROJECT
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