Coffee and Culture: How Llama Coffee is Connecting Lisa Trinidad-McGovern to Her Roots

Coffee and Culture: How Llama Coffee is Connecting Lisa Trinidad-McGovern to Her Roots

We sat down and spoke with the founder of Llama Coffee.

Lisa Trinidad-McGovern has been reconnecting with her roots while sourcing sustainable, high-quality coffee directly from the most ethical farms in Panama. As the founder of Llama Coffee, she draws inspiration from her family history and cultural heritage, and is committed to promoting the visibility of indigenous people. We sat down with Lisa to discuss her inspiration, her dedication to paying the true cost for coffee, and her vision for Llama Coffee's future.


KushyBabe: Hi Lisa, thanks for sitting down with us for some coffee. What are we drinking?

Lisa: We are drinking Llama Coffee's Flagship blend from our direct partner, Finca Dos Jefes. It's a Caturra and Catuai blend. I've had a preference for medium roasts for years, but these beans are best when roasted to a Full City plus. This coffee is delightfully unique, and I'm totally in love.

KB: Your tasting notes indicate red raspberry Ramune, and it's wild that I'm tasting something very raspberry-like.

L: Absolutely! I have to say, the terroir of this coffee is just incredible. You can taste those quintessential chocolate notes, which really make it the perfect coffee for your daily routine. But the raspberry notes give it a bit of an extra special touch. And those flavors, they're all thanks to the land where the beans were grown. Of course, we also put a lot of care into the roasting process, to make sure that those unique flavors really shine through. 


"My time in the Panamanian countryside as a kid gave me the fondest memories of my ancestral homeland and my grandfather. He truly cared for the women he served, often treating them and delivering their babies for low or no cost."

KB: Can you tell us about the significance of the llama and toucan on your coffee bag?

L:  My great-grandfather, who is represented by the llama on our coffee bag was from Peru. He was a photographer and a political dissident, and ended up in the Chiriqui province of Panama, where he met my great-grandmother, who is represented by the toucan on the llama's back. My great-grandfather loved Panama, but he was exiled by the Panamanian government for his outspoken views. I had the honor of meeting my great grandmother. She was so small and frail, but her energy was so strong and proud.

KB: Who inspires you?

L: My grandfather. He loved Panama too, but he left it for many years while he attended medical school in the US. He eventually returned to Chiriqui as an accomplished OB/GYN and started a private practice and later, a cattle ranch.
Even though I was born and grew up in the US, I've had a passport and travelled back and forth since I was an infant. My time in the Panamanian countryside as a kid gave me the fondest memories of my ancestral homeland and my grandfather. He truly cared for the women he served, often treating them and delivering their babies for low or no cost. I was blown away when I learned this. I imagine he started the cattle ranch as a way to generate a livable income because his medical practice seemed a mostly humanitarian pursuit. I have many extraordinary people in my family, but I've always been in awe of my grandfather. I think his strength of conviction, and love for Panama and it's people really resonates with me and pushes me to share the best and most
unique prize this country has to offer. That is simply coffee.

KB: How did you end up with a direct trade partnership with Finca Dos Jefes?

L: I was living at origin for six months with my family, learning more about my Panamanian heritage and ancestors, and basically just physically visiting coffee farms and asking questions. I was only interested in doing business with ethical farms, so I asked questions about the owner of the farms and level of involvement, what they were paying their indigenous workers, gender pay disparities, and living conditions for workers. I mostly didn't get answers, but it didn't matter because their silence was their statement. It was really discouraging. Three months later I discovered Finca Dos Jefes. Their beans had such a unique flavor profile and I knew I had to learn more about their ethics and their coffee. I made an appointment with the owner and the farm manager and learned about their commitment to biodiversity and ethical treatment of the Ngobe-Bugle community. I was so inspired by their mission and I knew that I wanted to work with them to bring their coffee to the US market. I'm incredibly proud to work directly with a farm that makes a positive impact while producing exceptional coffee.

Founder of llama Coffee Lisa in a field of coffee plants in Boquete Panama Finca Dos Jefes
Llama Coffee Founder, Lisa Trinidad-McGovern, surrounded by coffee plants.

KB: Who are the Ngobe-Bugle of Panama and what is their role in the coffee industry?

L: The Ngobe-Bugle are an indigenous group in Panama with a long history of cultivating coffee. However, despite their expertise, there are not many coffee farms owned by Ngobe-Bugle due to systemic discrimination and historical injustices. Nonetheless, the Ngobe-Bugle community plays an important role in Panama's coffee industry and their traditional knowledge of coffee cultivation, combined with modern farming techniques, has helped to produce some of the world's most sought-after specialty coffees.

Open Air Market in Boquete, Panama when llama coffee visit the flower festival 


"This financial stability has allowed workers to improve their standard of living, grow generational wealth, and invest in their communities"


KB: How does supporting Finca Dos Jefes impact the Ngobe-Bugle and how does that ultimately impact the true cost of coffee?

L: Finca Dos Jefes is a community focused coffee farm and we're proud to support them. By paying wages significantly higher than the industry standard, we help provide stable employment and income for the Ngobe-Bugle community. While most coffee fincas pay workers 50 cents to 1.41 per pound, very few pay $5 per pound. We (Llama Coffee) pay $8 per pound. This financial stability has allowed workers to improve their standard of living, grow generational wealth, and invest in their communities. This makes our coffee cost more than your brick of Bustelo or even other specialty coffees. I work hard to keep the cost as low as I can by gathering all the necessary bureaucratic paperwork and stamps of approval for export to the US myself. I make all the arrangements for transport, and even pickup my coffee from the import office myself. A lot of my sweat and labor goes into bringing this coffee to you, and I'm so privileged to do this. I invite you to consider this when you consider the cost of our coffee. 


llama coffee Panama Ngobe-Bugle woman carrying coffee bag at a boquete coffee farm

KB: What does the future for Llama Coffee look like?

L: I would like to buy more coffee directly from the small cooperative of Ngobe-Bugle farmers who work so hard to cultivate high quality coffee, and bring more of this indigenous owned coffee to your table. I would like to continue to pay above the fair wage to these farmers because I have a loyal customer base who appreciate what I'm trying to do. This may come off as a bit inflammatory, and I'm sure there are some coffee companies that are laughing at my optimism, but understand they have a vested interest in paying the lowest price. The true cost of coffee needs to be reckoned with, and we all need to be searching for more equitable and just ways to bring coffee to all of our tables. 


llama coffee finca dos jefes ngobe bugle farm worker loading green coffee beans

 

 "I'm never going to stop doing business with farms that enact fair labor practices, put emphasis on environmental sustainability, and promote community outreach."

 

KB: What do you wish for the future of the coffee industry?

L: I started Llama Coffee because I wanted to feel good about one of the most important aspects of my daily routine. It wasn't enough for me to buy coffee that said "fair trade" all over the bag after learning that simply means that workers are paid just 14 cents above the bare minimum, which is averaged to about $1.41 per pound of coffee picked. There are even loopholes around that that allow farm owners to pay workers that don't live on the property full time even lower, exploitative wages. In most cases, these workers are brown, black, and indigenous people. I refuse to continue to buy the lie that they are compensated fairly. And when Panamanian coffee is being sold at auction for the record breaking cost of $1,029 a pound, I think workers can be compensated fairly.   


KB: Is Llama Coffee a social justice brand?

L: I am committed to ethical and sustainable business practices, and contributing to positive change in the world. If that makes us a social justice brand, I'm proud of that. I'm never going to stop doing business with farms that enact fair labor practices, put emphasis on environmental sustainability, and promote community outreach. At the same time, I recognize that Llama Coffee is more than just a vehicle for social justice advocacy. As a new company with diverse interests, we are excited to explore all the possibilities that lie ahead, and to share our unique perspective on the coffee industry with the world.


Finca_Dos_jefes_ngobe_bugle_children_llama_coffee

You can purchase coffee from our Finca Dos Jefes partnership at  llama.coffee

Would you like to schedule a tour at Finca Dos Jefes? Boquete Coffee Tours 
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