Beyond the Harvest
Every coffee harvest brings new faces to San Lazaro Coffee, our coffee farm at Mission Lazarus.
While our farm provides year-round employment for our permanent team, harvest season creates a need for additional hands. During those busy months, women and men from neighboring communities join us to help bring in the crop. It's one of the ways our farm creates opportunity that extends well beyond our own workforce.
One of those seasonal employees is 18-year-old Mario Denilson Guevara from the village of Miravalles.
Mario learned about the farm through his aunt, who is part of our permanent team. She knew he was eager to work and invited him to help during the coffee harvest. It didn't take long for our staff to notice the kind of young man he was. Quiet and humble, Mario earned the respect of everyone around him through his strong work ethic and willingness to help others. Even after finishing his own work, he was often the first to step in wherever another hand was needed.
As relationships grew, our team learned that Mario was no longer in school. Like many young people in rural Honduras, financial challenges and limited educational opportunities had interrupted his studies.
Our team encouraged Mario to enroll in Educatodos, the adult education program provided by Mission Lazarus. He gladly accepted.
Today, Mario balances work and school. During the coffee harvest, he works alongside our team on the farm, and on Saturdays he attends classes, continuing his education with several of his coworkers.
His excitement is contagious. He loves sharing what he's learning and is grateful for the opportunity to keep moving forward.
Stories like Mario's remind us that the impact of a coffee farm isn't measured only in pounds harvested or bags roasted; it’s measured in people. A seasonal job opened the door to education, and that education is helping shape a different future for a young man with potential.
Every time you purchase San Lazaro Coffee, you help make stories like Mario's possible. Together, we're creating dignified work, investing in people, and seeing transformation ripple through families and communities in Honduras. Thank you for being part of our story!