Keeping Centered: Mexico Bella Vista

I don’t consider myself a pessimist, but the last year and a half—and counting—has been hard. Plain and simple. I’ve been finding myself taking pleasure in watching dystopian and post-apocalyptic movies to keep myself entertained. A friend said that she couldn’t bring herself to join me because those movies feel too real, but I argued that at least I’ll feel a little more prepared if and when I have to build a bunker. Is over preparedness a trauma response? Probably, but we can save that for another conversation.

Now that we’re this deep into the pandemic, I’m finally starting to feel okay in navigating our new normal. But after so many days of staying buckled down, how does one reconnect with their community during a time when we are straddling the line between having hope for things to keep getting better and managing the fear that still frolics in the fog? 

Up until now, I’ve felt like I’ve just been trying to keep my head above water while one wave after another kept pushing me over and over. My limbs became fatigued from trying to keep afloat, and I got tired of trying not to drown. And then I thought to myself, I should just stop treading water. Just keep the waves coming and see where I end up because I am tired. Let’s just see what happens. And surprisingly enough, I floated. I didn’t even struggle and ingest any water as I expected, if not hoped for. (Sometimes you just gotta feel something, you know?) But I just floated. And when I looked at my surroundings, I saw that there were others around me also just trying to keep their head above water, and others who had also decided to stop treading. Somehow, for those of us who had stopped moving and floated, the water was playful. Waves were gently starting to push us to shore. 

So, here I am now, walking on a slightly rocky but mostly sandy beach with the other floaters, wide eyed towards a world that looks familiar but is not quite the same. Still, we’re curious, and excited to be on land and excited to experience something new. We look towards the water and see some of our loved ones still trying to figure out how to get out of the water. They’ll figure it out in their own time and will join us when the time is right. But we’re here now and we’re going to celebrate.

So, what does this all have to do with coffee? As you may recall from a previous blog post by Corey, our plans for buying green coffee shifted a lot during the pandemic, and while we were doing everything we can to make sure Andytown could stay afloat, we were also trying to prioritize keeping our existing relationships with producers before developing new ones. All of our partners faced their own struggles as well, and we tried to do whatever we could to support one another.

This is our fourth year bringing back coffee from the Bella Vista Community in Chiapas, Mexico, and it just feels good knowing that, despite the struggles Rosalba Cifuentes Tovia and the Mayan Harvest team have experienced in the last year, they’re doing well and we’re able to keep working together. I’m glad to see Rosalba and team on the shore. Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less. If resilience and determination were a person, it would be Rosalba. If you’re new to Andytown, and would like to know more about our relationship with Rosalba and her company Mayan Harvest, check our five part blog starting here.

This coffee from the Bella Vista community is just as grounding as it always has been: chocolatey, a little nutty, and with hints of dried fruit. It’s versatile and an overall crowd pleaser. You can accentuate the chocolatey and nutty notes by using more coffee and creating a heavier brew, or you can accentuate fruity notes but using less coffee and creating a more delicate brew. Whether you’re in the water or on the shore, this is a great coffee to help keep you centered.

Want to try something else from the Bella Vista? Check out the Mexico Bella Vista Women’s Group or our Decaf Mexico Bella Vista.