Our beans are grown by the Casa Hogar Vida Coffee Co., owned by Jorge Serrano in Choluteca, Honduras. As he farms his beans, he has a few commitments that he holds to:
- Produce the best quality coffee he can produce year in and year out.
- Pay his workers at least 10% more than standard wages for coffee workers.
- Donate coffee to a roaster in Honduras who roasts coffee for local restaurants/businesses and retail that generates more revenue to go back into local missions projects.
Specifically, that revenue goes to help a ministry by the same name, Casa Hogar Vida, which runs an AIDS clinic, orphanage, and community center.
Honduras reports one of the highest rates of people infected by HIV (33,000 in 2011) and has 43,000 orphans due to AIDS, so the need is incredibly high. Casa Hogar Vida stands in the gap. Their orphanage houses 20 children currently, the housing project they offer has 40 homes, and the education and nutrition center they run that supplements health care and education has ~70 kids involved. So, when Illini Life orders beans from Jorge, we're helping to supply for those in need in Choluteca.
Jorge sells his beans to The Friendly Bean in Kansas City, MO. John, the owner there roasts the beans fresh for Illini Life when we order them. The Friendly Bean has a commitment to donate at least 50% of the profits from sales back to Honduras to support Casa Hogar Vida. As well, they have worked to train the roaster in Honduras to bring out the best qualities of Jorge's beans. Then, when Illini Life orders our beans, John ships them to us and we brew them fresh in our office on campus every week.
Simply put the more cups of free coffee we give out, the more students on our campus we bless AND the more help we offer to those in need in Honduras. If you'd like to learn more about our free coffee ministry, contact one of our staff or stop by on a Friday. We'd love to tell you more.
