By Marion Filler
What makes a cup of Rey Sol coffee so special?
“It’s made with love,” says Johanna Porras-Ramirez, co-owner of Rey Sol Coffee Roasters, her family’s café on 140 Morris Ave. in Morristown. “You can buy a cup of coffee everywhere, even in a gas station, but you’re not going to have coffee of this kind anywhere.”
She should know.
The love she describes refers to the passion of Ramirez coffee growers, who for six generations have cultivated approximately 500 acres of prime farmland in Balboa, Colombia. Porras-Ramirez and her husband Arley Ramirez remain devoted to the close-knit community back home that makes it possible for Rey Sol to serve exquisite Colombian coffee at their stores in Morristown and Ridgewood.
It’s been an ideal arrangement — until Aug. 10. Balboa, population 6,000, was devastated by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that ripped through the mountainous Risaralda region.
Together with daughters Linda and Natalie, Johanna and Arley have started a GoFundMe drive to provide basic necessities that will enable their hometown to rebuild and continue their legacy as coffee farmers.
Their request is compelling: “The families of Risaralda and Balboa are the reason we carry our story so strongly — the farmers who grow our beans, the neighbors who raised us, the people we represent in every cup we pour here. And because we represent them in our shops every day, we have to stand with them now, when they need us most,” says Porras-Ramirez.
She estimates 600 homes have been damaged in Balboa.
Right now, she says, the Colombian government is distributing aid to the main cities, but not to the farmers and people in rural areas. “The people here are very poor and had nothing, and now whatever they did have is gone.”
Rey Sol is picking up the slack and the response has been good. Nearly $3,500 has been raised so far, and household items and tools already have filled a warehouse to overflowing.
“It’s so crowded that we have no room to walk,” says Porras-Ramirez. “Now we need money for a 40-foot container to send all these packages.”
Monetary donations are crucial to get urgently needed help to its destination.
Trusted shippers that Rey Sol normally uses for worldwide coffee distribution will handle delivery to ports in Colombia. From there, local truckers will continue the journey, driving through rough mountain roads to reach Balboa, Porras-Ramirez says.
In the meantime, the firemen of Balboa have gone house to house to assess the needs of every stricken family. In a small town where everybody knows everybody, the process is supervised by Arley Ramirez, widely recognized for his generosity, leadership and “big heart.”
He divides his time between the family home in Balboa and another in Basking Ridge, where his daughters grew up. Johanna manages the cafés and is constantly in touch with relatives and friends in Colombia.
Time is of the essence because the biggest harvest of the year is rapidly approaching. A special crop timed for Thanksgiving is in the works. It has yet to be named, and is one of many varieties grown in micro labs on the farm. The beans are picked, soaked and dried according to type, then peeled and packed in sacks ready for shipment.
“We get them green and store them in our warehouse in Plainfield,” says Porras-Ramirez, “and then we take the beans in five-kilo bags to the Ridgewood store where we have a roaster. It takes about 13-14 minutes for each batch.”
Every variety is bagged and labeled, and displayed on open shelving in both stores. “You ask and we will grind it for you, there’s no fresher coffee than this,” she promises, and reminds coffee aficionados never to buy ground coffee. Who knows when it was ground, she reasons; always buy beans instead.
Starting this week, Rey Sol begins an expansion that will approximately double the space for the Morristown store. Considering its proximity to the M Station office development and the Morristown train station, the timing couldn’t be better.
Visitors currently enjoy a joyful, welcoming setting with limited indoor and outdoor seating. Breakfast and brunch include fresh baked goods and Colombian favorites along with Colombian coffee that is served with love and purpose. The café is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm. Parking is accessible behind the building via Olyphant Place.
Relief items may be dropped off at the café. These include non-perishable food, toiletries and hygiene products, blankets, flashlights, first-aid kits, and clothing for children, adults, and seniors.
A $25 contribution online will buy a heavy duty tarp to protect a damaged home; $100 helps provide an emergency tent for families who have lost everything, according to the fundraising page.
Morristown has a long history of people stepping forward in pivotal moments.
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