El Recreo Coffee Farm Through Kim Zahnow’s Eyes
By Michelle Fish, with Photos by Special Guest One Bigg Islander, Kim Zahnow
In the age of cell phones, everyone thinks they’re a photographer… until they meet a real one. We are grateful that our good friend Kim Zahnow, one of the most talented photographers I have ever met, agreed to come with us to El Recreo to help us tell the story of this special farm and its people. Here are a few of our favorites, with the special bonus of images from our day at the Masaya Volcano outside of Managua.
First stop on the way to the farm: Guirilas in Sebaco, a sweet corn tortilla served with tangy cheese and crema.
Carlos and Leana Ferry, the owners and the heart of El Recreo Coffee Farm.
Juana in the kitchen where she starts making tortillas at 3:00 am to feed to the farm workers and their families.
Antenoro Gonzales and his wife Maria, below, have worked at the farm for many seasons.
During our visit, we had the chance to celebrate Christmas with the children of the farm workers, including a visit from Santa!
Family housing for the permanent workers. It includes living space, indoor toilets and showers with hot running water, as well as communal kitchen space. One of the next big projects Carlos and Leana Ferry are going to undertake is install enough solar-powered lighting.
