Seven years ago, before the idea of importing coffee had even occurred to me, I got in touch with the organizer for the Lebanon Farmers Market. Beans and legumes are a huge part of the Dominican diet, and I had a dozen recipes that used lentils, garbanzos, and black and red beans- everything from salty to sweet, snack to dessert. The idea of sharing my country with the people of my new home appealed to me even then, and I started to get a little excited, but it was not to be. The deadline to apply for the year had already passed, the vendors were set, and that summer’s market would go on without me. Over the next year, as...
It wasn’t any easy night. By the time Tuesday dawned, the phrase “my coffee is stuck in customs” was running on a loop through my head. Tuesdays are my busiest day of the week since we started Hato Viejo, because after dropping the kids at school, I have two hours of driving to pick up the freshly roasted beans from the roaster, and then get home to fill all of the orders for the week. I started the day as I normally would, trying to stay calm, and pensively awaiting the email from the broker- just hoping I would get the news in time to make the two hour trip to Boston before 5pm, when the freight company closed. I’d...
Connection of Hato Viejo with the Dominican Culture. When the Hato Viejo River flooded the Ceiba de Madera valley, it bathed the already fertile land, higher in the mountains than most agriculture land, soaking the ground in preparation for the May bloom. I think I was 7 the first year I really remember the colors. The mountainous landscape of my home surrounded by every intense color of the rainbow created a fantasy world straight out of a dream. The tall trees around us protected my family’s coffee farm from the elements. That vivid landscape provided strong inspiration for many artists in the area, including two of my brothers, Carlos Garcia Baret, winner of the 2015 Art Biennial in the...
