For the army of us that show up to our local coffee shop each morning, half-awake and fully, fighting sleep to secure a quick shot of espresso or almond milk latte before settling into the hustle of the workday, the concepts of sourcing and processing coffee are probably pretty far from our minds. When we wrap our weary hands around that mug or put the lid on our paper to-go-cup, we rarely reflect on how many people had a hand in helping our coffee make it to us. Instead, our focus is on function and flavor rather than roasting technique, and our relationships are with our favorite baristas rather than coffee farmers in Central America or beyond. At the local level, it is with those folks behind the bar that we connect–they’re the faces of our favorite ritual. But while we’re far removed from the origin, equally important bonds exist elsewhere that make our morning cup possible–in particular, those between farmer and fruit.

In El Salvador, one example of that relationship can be found at Finca Kilimanjaro, a bustling farm nestled into the peak of an active volcano, under the watch of fifth generation coffee farmer, Aida Batlle. Batlle is the boots on the ground expert that facilitates the connection between the people picking and pouring over the perfect beans, and those of us enjoying our pour-overs stateside. After spending several years in the U.S., Batlle returned to her family’s own place of origin at a time when consumers had begun craving an elevated coffee culture. Her approach to growing–with the meticulous care and eye on quality–caught the attention of coffee superstars from the likes of North Carolina’s Counter Culture, among others.

In our third and final installment of Get Something Brewing, in partnership with KitchenAid®, we visit the coffee harvest of Finca El Paraiso, friends of Batlle and whose coffee is featured under Aida Batlle Selection. And with Counter Culture’s West Coast Quality Analyst, Katie Carguilo, as our guide, we get to geek out about the finer points of coffee cultivation from the comfort of our own homes (or coffeehouses). Most of us won’t soon find ourselves in the fields of El Salvador, on some adventure to track down the source of our daily brew. Instead, we rely on professional, renowned roasters like Counter Culture to bring Batlle and her fellow farmers’ work to life–all part of a coffee’s path to grateful consumers. And by using the KitchenAid® Precision Press Coffee Maker, those home brewers can pay homage to the many hands involved in delivering each carefully selected coffee bean, by creating a finished product that honors the hard work at every step of the way. And all while preparing us for our own journeys ahead.

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Produced by Life & Thyme Productions in partnership with Mothersauce. Shot on location at Finca El Paraiso, El Salvador. Additional post production of photography by Antonio Diaz.