La Leona | Colombia

Founded in 2015 by Nelson Amador, a fourth-generation coffee farmer who grew up on his grandfather Raul Rodriguez's Finca Santa Lucia in the remote village of Tres Pinos, Honduras, Five Star Coffee Roasters emerged from a profound realization about the disconnect between producers and consumers in the coffee supply chain. When Amador came to the United States to learn English, he was struck by how coffee produced by families like his served as a main point of connection in American daily life, yet farmers received minimal profit through the complex import system. Their roasting philosophy centers on complete vertical integration. From their family's cloud forest-surrounded farms in Honduras to their Holly Springs roastery, they control every step of the process, building direct trade relationships that eliminate middlemen while supporting small producers throughout Central America. It’s a genuine farm-to-cup operation where you know exactly whose hands prepared your coffee every step of the way.