Imagine, you are surrounded by kids, getting wrapped in duct tape with a bucket strapped to your back, then you run around while balls are thrown your way. You are a moving target, and all you hear is kids laughing as you look silly running around with this contraption. This was one of the joyous moments I had while visiting the schools Seeds for Progress works with. 

I visited Guatemala for one week and was taken aback by the beauty of the country. Active volcanoes and mountains surrounded the landscape, lush green trees, warm, and friendly people welcomed me everywhere. I was so excited to be there and for the week ahead of me. During my stay with Seeds for Progress, we visited four schools, a coffee farm and a coffee harvesting plant. We played games with the kids, watched a talent show, experienced loving hospitality and tasted delicious coffee. I felt so much gratitude while visiting each location. The environments were lively, energetic and warm. In between educational games, the kids were given lunch, which was locally prepared. The work to ensure the kids are well taken care of is evident. It was amazing to see that one of the schools had planted a garden right next to the building to provide fresh food for the students’ lunches. I travelled with the communications team, which gave me the opportunity to learn more about the education and nutrition programs they have implemented, as well as see the impact it has had on the kids and teachers. Coffee harvest season can be challenging for families, which makes access to proper nutrition difficult for families in these communities. It was truly heartwarming to see that the children at the camps were receiving multiple, nourishing meals. 

Seeds for Progress does such a great job of discerning the benefit of maintaining a family run legacy, such as a coffee farm, while giving children the basic necessities, like food, education, and a fun atmosphere. I feel that most coffee consumers don’t consider where their coffee actually comes from. The hands that go into producing the cup of coffee you know and love are doing their best to provide for their family. Going from the school, to the coffee farm, to the processing plant opened my eyes to the vast impact coffee can have on a community. It is much more complex than just a cup of coffee. It is a family getting fed, it is children going to the Seeds Camp, and it is organizations, such a Fabretto, who bring light to really critical issues. The summer program allows the kids to be kids. This is so important because every child deserves to have an education, to have food to nourish their growth, to have friends around them who they can laugh with and to have mentors, like their teachers, to look up to. 

As someone who works on the front side of the coffee industry, in cafes and customer facing spaces, this experience made me want to inspire more people to think about where their coffee comes from and the effort and care behind every cup. Seeds showed me the impact coffee roasters and cafes can have on a community. Without Fabretto, Seeds for Progress and the donors, these programs wouldn’t exist, and the children would be spending their summers very differently. It is evident the joy the camps provide the kids and knowing they are getting nourishing meals while there is amazing. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I got to visit such an amazing country alongside Seeds for Progress. 

About the author: Ansley discovered Fabretto through her passion for coffee, travel, and community impact. After connecting with partners in the coffee industry, she was inspired by the Seeds for Progress initiative and its holistic approach to supporting coffee-growing communities through education and nutrition. A University of Georgia alumna, Ansley is driven by a desire to learn from and meaningfully engage with the communities she visits.