Nelin became a member of the Best Friend’s Club in 2020, and with each passing year his coffee gets better, brighter, and livelier. Nelin is one of the smallest yield producers we work with in Honduras, and this past year was extra challenging because across the board on Santa Barbara Mountain coffee production was down. The good news is the coffee Nelin produced is some of the best we have tasted in Santa Barbara, and we were able to pay him the highest cost per pound yet. The funds from last year’s Best Friend’s Club distribution also helped offset the inflated cost of fertilizer this season. For Nelin, everything goes back to family. Nelin’s pursuit of increased coffee quality is driven by the desire to provide for his family. Most of the money Nelin earns from producing coffee goes directly to his children’s education and supporting the rest of his family. His father is also a coffee producer, who Nelin looks up to not only in this regard, but as a pillar in their community as well. We are thankful to know Nelin and are excited to share his coffee with you. Nelin’s coffee is hitting all the notes this year, presenting a complex blend of robust, yet delicate flavors. It opens with sweet and bright lemonade that is incredibly refreshing for these hot end of summer days. As the coffee lingers on your palate it shows its delicate side, presenting notes of jasmine tea that pops with florality, before finishing with a caramel sweetness. This coffee’s acidity makes it’s a bit more adventurous, but it still handles cream and sugar like a champ and will appeal to most coffee drinkers. With our Best Friend’s Club producers, we are committed to ensuring all of a producer’s coffee finds a home each year. We also provide additional financial support by directly sending funds for every bag of coffee we sell. More importantly, it is about working with producers through highs and lows, allowing us to support each other, and grow together.