Our time in Honduras has always had a profound impact on us. During our latest visit, we had the opportunity to visit our producing partners, witness the progress of the new harvest, and reconnect with all the close friends that inspire us to continue sharing the wonders of Honduran coffee with the world.
Our commitment to relationship coffee extends beyond simply sourcing high-quality beans; we believe in fostering genuine partnerships with our producers, which enables us to better understand the complexities of coffee production at the origin. This model of business allows us to drive a positive impact across the communities & landscapes where our coffee is grown and to ensure that our customers can enjoy a truly exceptional cup of coffee.
Join us in our travels across Honduras to learn more about what we’ve been up to!
MARCALA
Learning from Coffee Producers and Innovators
Our trip through Honduras’ coffee lands couldn’t have started any better! We arrived at San Pedro and immediately jumped in a car and drove to Marcala.
We were able to visit Finca Biodinámica La Fortaleza and met some of the country’s most renowned producers: Oscar Omar Alonso’s Finca “Cual Bicicleta” and Victor Contreras.
Oscar is well known for his amazing lived experience as a coffee farmer and human. His experimentation with cross-breeding Geishas through injertos (grafting) is at the forefront of innovative farm practices in Honduras. We were fascinated by the way he investigates and experiments with his coffee’s cup profile, robustness, and yield. The result was an extraordinary coffee that exceeded my expectations.
Victor is a visionary farmer who has revolutionized the coffee industry through unconventional practices that stretch beyond even biodynamic’s standards. His work focuses on balancing energies and metaphysics to recondition plants and their memories, and environmental genetic programming, to produce the highest quality possible in unison with the natural rhythms of the plants.
By incorporating nature-based tools and practices of ancient wisdom traditions from around the world, Victor's unique approach is groundbreaking and sets him twenty steps ahead of regenerative agriculture. His work could sound like smoke & mirrors to some, but a look at his farm, a taste of his coffee, and there’s no doubt that he’s on to something exciting! It was truly an honor to be able to learn and experience this holistic production approach firsthand!
Meeting Marcala’s Coffee Community
While in Marcala, we also had the opportunity to meet with Nelson Dominguez, one of our collaborators and quality control partners! He arranged multiple cupping sessions at COMSA (Café Orgánico de Marcala) so we could try some of our producing partner’s coffees and some exciting new offerings from other small-scale farmers in the area.
There were a few new coffees that caught our attention: A carbonic maceration geisha from Douglas Penalba, a honey-processed bourbon, and an exceptional washed Icatú from Bryan Bautista & Juan Carlos Amaya’s farms; both of them are young farmers who are taking their family tradition to the next level.
We’re really inspired by all the stories, work, and coffees we tried, so we’re looking forward to continuing to build a partnership with the outstanding producers in this region!
PURINGLA
Visiting Beneificio Los Encinos
Visiting Beneficio Los Encinos in Puringla was one of the most memorable experiences of our trip. We’ve known Luha and Iseel, two remarkable sisters, for years but on this trip, we got to meet their beloved cows, Panqueque and Empanada! We had the opportunity to have a heartfelt conversation about what it means to be a woman in the coffee industry and it was truly a humbling experience to hear about their challenges and experiences firsthand.
It’s these experiences that reinforce our commitment to building long-term partnerships with producers. Learning about the context surrounding their production and establishing minimum purchase quantities allows us to find tailored solutions that help the sustainability of their farms and allows them to plan ahead for the years to come.
The dedication and passion that these women bring to their craft are truly inspiring. Their commitment to excellence is a testament to the impact that individuals can have on their communities and the coffee industry as a whole. We’re excited to be able to support their efforts and look forward to seeing their success in the future!
THERE’S MORE TO COME
While this was only the start of our journey, we couldn’t be happier with our return to Honduras. We always say our country has so much to offer that defining its coffees as "specialty" does not fully capture the hard work, passion, and innovation behind the scenes.
Every time we come back to our homeland we’re assured that our company, our partners, and our impact is all heading in the right direction! Stay tuned, we’ll follow up with more stories from our journey across Honduras’ coffee landscape!