Underground Coffee Project
This morning I had the privilege of visiting a local coffee roaster that is doing some amazing things in Skagit County, Washington. The Underground Coffee Project, based in Burlington, WA, roasts quality Honduran coffee in small batches. They feature a Light Roast, fruity, bright mouth feel, stronger caffeine; a Dark Roast, a deep, rich, Northwest-style coffee; and their specialty, the Light in the Darkness, as 30% Light, 70% Dark blend, which combines the complex flavor profile of the Light Roast with the roasty, rich character of the Dark.
To go along with the great coffee, the Underground Coffee Project has an even greater story. Here’s how they tell it:
To get a complex cup of coffee, you have to start from the underground; in the soil and that’s where our story begins…
Tierra Nueva, or New Earth, began as a soil conservation movement among peasant farmers in the mountains of Honduras. It was a time of conflict, violence, poverty and immigration. Our founders Bob and Gracie Ekblad learned that real change begins when the people at the bottom of the system see that the devastation of their land, their soil, their story, can be restored.
Village after village saw their little corn plants tower high above their straw hats, offering shade and abundance. A generation later, Dagoberto Diaz and others were growing international specialty-grade coffee from those same slopes, looking for a market in the North. Meanwhile, Bob and young fellow jail chaplain Chris Hoke up in the Northwest’s Skagit Valley were working with many men restoring the soil of their lives after years of devastation. Zach Joy was one such man, tattooed and blossoming—but trapped in the underground, under the system.
With a sudden idea, a generous grant, and the help of some of Seattle’s finest coffee roasters, the Underground Coffee Project began. Dago and Zach. Honduras and the American underground. It all came together, through a coffee bean. Zach and others from the shadows are now small batch, artisan coffee roasters as rare and precious as our bean’s flavor profile. Brew a cup. Taste the fresh, robust balance of industry excellence with ecological, social and spiritual empowerment. All new movements begin underground. We’d love your next cup of coffee to be part of it.
I had the joy of hanging out with Zach and a couple of other guys from Tierra Nueva, chatting about coffee and their dreams for the roastery.
This week, if you’re looking for a new coffee to try and you want to support something truly life-giving and life-changing along the way, buy a bag from the Underground. It’s well-priced, carefully crafted, and quite tasty.
I hope this is the first of many posts about this great project. Let me know if you grab a bag. I’d love to know what you think.
Notes