BEHIND THE BEANS: THE PICKER'S PROJECT

At Stone Creek, every coffee we brew tells a story of land, labor, and lives deeply intertwined with the bean’s journey. That's part of our Farm to Cup mission, providing transparency in the coffee purchasing journey. And that’s why we’re proud to share that our Boneshaker Colombia, Cream City, and a few other upcoming blends include coffee sourced from a project that’s changing lives on the ground: The Pickers Project, through our friends at Azahar Coffee.

The Hidden Hands of Your Morning Cup

Our morning coffee ritual can be a simple pleasure, but its production is anything but. It’s labor-intensive, grueling, and overwhelmingly done by hand. In Colombia alone, more than 150,000 people are involved in picking coffee during harvest season—nearly all of it on steep mountainsides. The work is often informal, low-paid, and performed outside legal labor protections.

The most skilled and essential step in coffee’s journey—cherry picking—is frequently carried out under harsh and inequitable conditions. Many of these workers, including women and children, go unrecognized, underpaid, and unprotected by the very systems that should be supporting them.

Building a Better Way

In 2017, Azahar Coffee piloted a small but radical idea in the Nariño region: The Pickers Project (TPP). It aimed to bring dignity and structure to the most overlooked link in the coffee chain. What began as a pilot evolved into Manos al Grano, a full-fledged nonprofit founded in 2021.

The goal? Hire coffee pickers legally and full-time, provide them with benefits and healthcare, offer ongoing training, and ensure payment through formal banking—something that’s still a rarity in rural farm work. Some groups even receive childcare support during harvest seasons.

Today, the project works with 50 farmers in northern Huila and employs 57 trained, supported, and empowered pickers.

Why It Matters—For Everyone

Investing in The Pickers Project doesn’t just benefit the pickers—it creates a ripple effect throughout the coffee supply chain:

• Farmers gain the ability to navigate labor shortages while reducing their exposure to labor infractions.

• Pickers earn higher wages and receive benefits, bringing them into the formal economy with access to healthcare and legal protections.

• Farmers receive cash flow support through a system that pays pickers directly, alleviating financial pressure at the start of harvest.

• Pickers are deployed to participating farms, ensuring quality work and consistent labor.

• Farmers are paid premium prices for the coffee they produce under this ethical model.

• The result is coffee that complies with national and international labor laws, and raises the bar for quality and value.

Why It Matters to Us

We believe good coffee doesn’t just taste good—it should do good. That’s why we’re so excited to incorporate beans from The Pickers Project into our coffees. This is more than just sourcing—it’s supporting a future where coffee is both high-quality and ethically produced.

Every time you enjoy a cup of Boneshaker Colombia or Cream City, you’re not just getting an exceptional brew—you’re participating in a new, fairer system that values the people behind the bean.

Here’s to better coffee—and a better world for those who make it possible.

If you are interested in learning more about this project, check out this video from Azahar Coffee.