Elder Wisdom
“Your name is all ya got…”
What’s in a name? To Grandma, it was everything. She would say that things of this world fall away, but your name is all you truly have, therefore you should give your word sparingly, and live in such a manner that you keep honor and goodness associated with your name. We believe honesty and integrity are important. We up charge only a small amount to keep it affordable for our customers while also providing an income for our family. We are honest and fair.
“Honey, do it with a good heart”
As a child, both my grandmothers would ask me to keep the living areas clean and picked up. I remember one time my Maw Maw asked me to pick up my boots that I’d thrown haphazardly on the living room floor. I was visibly exasperated and let out an audible huff. She reminded me to do all things with a good heart, even when you’re frustrated. It changes your view of the world from bad or aggravating to, at the very least, tolerable, and at the best a good place to be. We want to encourage folks in this,sometimes rude and uncertain, world to be kind to each other. Have a cup of coffee or tea and a conversation with someone you like, someone you’ve never met, or someone who has a different opinion or culture from your own. We are good hearted and curious to learn new things and meet new people.
“There’s no more land being made. Keep your land, don’t sell it, because whatever problems you have are temporary.”
Maw maw apparently didn’t know about Hawaii and how much land an angry volcano can produce! But, for the most part, she was right. Land is valuable, and the farmers have their lives invested in that land. They live, cultivate, grow, harvest, and steward their part of the earth. They deserve, for all their efforts, to be paid fairly. It’s a good feeling to pay a fair amount on the coffee beans we purchase, knowing we are getting a high quality product, and their families are being supported by this trade. We are fair trade.
“Humble yourself before GOD every day and it’ll give you strength to face the good and the bad.”
Whether you are a believer or not, what Maw Maw was really teaching us is discipline. She was steadfast in her beliefs, and she would kneel on a homemade bench three times a day…more if necessary…to humble herself before God and pray for us kids, family, friends, and her own struggles. She developed callouses on her knees from this practice. When she was older and it was difficult to kneel, I would often encourage her to just sit to pray. Her response was always no, and I thought she was so brave to face her discomfort, but really she was just consistent and disciplined. It’s important to stay focused on the quality of what you do. Our product will always meet quality standards. We are consistent.