Behind the Scenes at Life is Hope Coffee
Richard Lopez, the man behind Life is Hope Coffee.
On our recent trip to Jasper, AL, we had the opportunity to tour the roasting facility at Life is Hope Coffee. Our tour was led by Richard Lopez, who is the man responsible for creating Life is Hope Coffee.
Richard will be the first to tell you that his involvement in raising awareness and funds to support Life is Hope Orphanage has been nothing but God working through the efforts of a “dumb guy from Alabama.”
Yes, those are Richard’s words.
Richard’s story, as I have heard him tell it on several occasions, is fairly straightforward. He’s a small business owner with a background in engineering, working mostly in granite counter tops. He never had a desire to get involved with mission work or orphanages, but was coerced into being a sponsor on a mission trip to Haiti in 2012. Their group visited Life is Hope Orphanage and, in no time, his heart was captured by one of the little girls at the orphanage.
Upon returning home, he felt a need to pour into the lives of the children at Life is Hope. Though he had no background in roasting coffee, the idea struck him that it was the way to go. In September 2012, with the help of his wife, they began roasting small batches of coffee in a popcorn popper. It was obvious they needed a larger roaster, so they purchased a larger machine on eBay. God continued to bless and grow their ministry and they soon outgrew the new machine. They now operate two fully-automated, digitally controlled roasters that will do what was a full week’s work in just a few hours!
Richard roasting a small batch with the first “real” roaster they purchased.
Today, only 5 months after starting in a popcorn popper, Life is Hope Coffee ships to individuals and churches all over the country and has begun appearing in local grocery stores & coffee shops. Richard has recently begun experimenting roasting coffee that is non-GMO, certified organic & rainforest friendly with hopes to be carried by Whole Foods.
If you haven’t had a chance to try out their coffee, you should! Not only do the proceeds go to support the care of children at Life is Hope Orphanage, it’s also really good coffee! You can order from their website at lifeishopesouth.org or, if you are around Batesville, let us know and we can bring you some!
-Eric
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- Coffee is imported from all over the place — Haiti, Guatemala, Costa Rica, etc.
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- Tubs of green, unroasted coffee beans.
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- One of the two new roasting machines, originally imported from South Korea.
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- Here, you can see the beans roasting.
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- Fully digital, completely automated.
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- The coffee is packaged with volunteer labor to reduce overhead costs.
-Eric
