On my first visit to Santiago de Cuba I met Yaumara Lopez the manager of Casa Dranguet which is a totally restored 19th century Coffee hacienda now functioning as a coffee museum, cafe and performance space and art gallery. She is the city archeologist and one of the leading experts of the history of coffee culture in Cuba.

She took me to a few coffee farms in the area and I thought this would be a great experience for people to enjoy and that’s how it all started.We work closely together.We visit private farms,cooperativos and a regional coffee and cacao research centre.. I sent you an article about my visit and plans to do a Eco tourist tour that was published on Casa Dranguet’s online magazine.

Our team. Lorne Berkun,owner,founder. I have been in the specialty coffee industry most of my career. As a barista, cafe owner and currently the owner of Skyline Espresso
Coffee catering. This coffee tourism project is in its second season but has been in the works for several years. Our last tour was in January.

Leo Alegre. Leo is an important part of our team. A graduate of University of Havana with a tourism degree he is fluent in English and Italian. His knowledge of coffee and culture in Cuba is far reaching.Whether its finding a good air b&b or a good cafe to eat in  Leo is the best. Because of his fluency in Italian we also offer the tour to Italian speakers.Here is a list of places and things we will be visiting. I have photos of most of them. Casa Dranguet