by Christy K. Truitt
Three words stirred into the very foundation of Café La Tranquilidad, a seven-acre coffee farm banked among the slopes of the active Santa Maria volcano in Western Guatemala. Alabama native and Auburn alumnus Martin Brodbeck’s circuitous journey to the Central American country arguably began with love.
“My dad often flew into Africa during his service in the Air Force. While there on a crew rest, he met my mother whose father managed the Firestone Rubber Plantation. Dad told her when he finished his service and completed his education, he would return to Africa and work for her dad,” says Christian Brodbeck, one of Martin and wife Diane’s three sons. “He got his Forestry degree from Auburn and did just that.”
The family eventually moved to Guatemala where Martin continued working for Firestone managing the Guatemalan rubber plantation. In search of an American-curriculum school, the family relocated to a small coffee farm called Finca La Tranquilidad or Tranquil Farm in English. They began producing coffee under the label Café La Tranquiliad.
“We knew nothing about growing coffee, but the location was perfect for the crop. What we didn’t know, we learned,” says Christian, a 2002 Auburn Biosystems Engineering alumnus with a master’s in Civil Engineering. Christian is currently the director of Research Operations in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University.
Christian, along with brothers Beau and Michael, grew up among coffee production during a period of civil war in the country. As children, they spoke better Spanish than English which helped as they worked side by side with native Guatemalans when not in school.
Loyal to the country and farmers they employed, the brothers created a business plan to maintain the coffee farm following their father’s illness in the summer of 2020. “My brothers and I all graduated from Auburn and really have no intention of returning to the farm full-time. When Dad got sick, we had to figure out a way to keep the business going long-distance,” says Christian. “Our goal was to make the farm self-sustaining, environmentally friendly and beneficial to the surrounding community. We weren’t concerned with making a profit. We wanted to make sure the families who had worked the finca (farm) for the past 25 years would always have a job,” says Christian.
From that loyalty, the legacy of Café la Tranquilidad was formed. An online business touting “mountain grown gourmet coffee for connoisseurs,” it is a true farm-to-cup product different from the general market. The farm boasts rich volcanic soil, high altitude, and a temperate climate, all natural advantages to coffee production. The local roaster employs his vast knowledge and skill to the roasting process as each bean is sorted and monitored. The beans are called “strictly hard bean,” which is known as the highest quality. The crop is shade-grown under a native tree canopy which is highly praised for producing excellent quality as well as being environmentally conscious.
The brothers, along with their families, hold a particular responsibility to the farm from their homes stateside. From website design/maintenance to logistics to product delivery, the Brodbeck family continues the legacy of Café la Tranquilidad. And back at the finca, Doña Diane and employees affix the logo by hand to each coffee bag, a picture of the towering Santa Maria.
The East Alabama communities can have Café La Tranquilidad delivered to their doorstep with free delivery in Auburn/Opelika or have it shipped to friends or family anywhere in the country. Christian and wife Shanna manage orders and local deliveries from their Auburn home. They also have several local retail partners including Wild Flour Bakery, Stinson Breads, Pepper Tree Steaks and Wines and Ace Hardware. To learn more on how to order a supply or to join the monthly coffee club, visit www.CafeLT.com
“We want to produce a product of quality, that’s environmentally sound and to provide a living wage to the employees of Café La Tranquilidad,” says Christian. Through love, loyalty and legacy, the Brodbeck family does just that.
