I am a tribal member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe based out of Tucson, Arizona. I grew up in a rural farming community called Five Points California which is situated in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. Five Points is located off Interstate 5 not far from the well-known Harris Ranch.

I remember countless conversations with my mom who was Pascua Yaqui regarding her heritage. My grandparents came from Santiago de Ocoroni and San Blas in the state of Sinaloa and migrated up to California. My grandmother only spoke the Yaqui language, my grandfather spoke both Spanish and the Yaqui language and both were Yaqui decent. As I have reflected on my childhood memories, our home was always hustling and bustling. Our day began with our mother putting on a pot of coffee every morning to start her and my fathers' day. He got ready to start his day as a farmer in the agricultural industry. I am the youngest of twelve siblings, and it wasn't unusual for families working in the agricultural industry to be so large. Our mother was the matriarch, and our father was the head foreman for the ranch that he worked for. My parents had the utmost respect for each other and treated each other with love and honor. Looking back today, this memory of their love and honor for one another brings me joy and inspiration. This taught me that this should be a core value of doing things for one another and it taught me they appreciated each other. She enjoyed bringing his cup of coffee to him every morning the old-fashioned way, a cup on a saucer. As an agricultural family we all worked on the land, cultivating and growing various crops to feed the world. This is where I learned at an early age how to work and honor the land through techniques passed down from the generations before me. This was our connection to the earth. Learning how crops were grown and why they needed cultivating and tending to.

These memories inspired the genesis of our Café de Olla Blend, mixed with traditional Piloncillo (a brown sugar) and Canela (Cinnamon). This combination compliments each other without overpowering either ingredient. It is designed to enhance the flavors of one another. We blend our Café de Olla using coffee from the Chiapas Valley. The coffee growers in the rural area of the Chiapas Valley where our beans are sourced brought me excitement learning how the coffee is cultivated and tended to and made me realize how the world thrives on coffee. Our Café de Olla was created and blended as a tribute to my parents, grandparents and those before them. I sincerely hope that a big bright smile of enjoyment comes across your face while sipping our Café de Olla Blend!

Sacred Dancer Coffee is a tribute to my family and ancestors, in hopes that you and many others will look back at your own memories of your own childhood and cherished memories no matter where you grew up. Many coffee drinkers would agree that taking that first sip in the morning does something to their psyche. That taste, the aroma and even the heat of the cup. Coffee was and still is a morning ritual, along with finding a quiet place, sitting in your pajamas, overlooking a view on a front porch, and simply taking in the fresh air, to a chilly morning or a sunny spring day while enjoying your cup of morning joe.

Sacred Dancer Coffee enjoys bringing people together, it’s a connection with a simple good morning to having a conversation with family or friends along with providing that "Of The Earth" coffee experience. Connecting through coffee creates a community of coffee lovers around the world.

Chiokoe!

-Lydia Fernandez , Co-Founder