Honduras & the Story of A Family Farm in Comayagua

Photo by Esteban Benites on Unsplash

Honduras is the largest Central American coffee producer, 3rd in Latin America, and fifth in world coffee production (USDA 2018). Over half of their coffee is grown in small villages within mountain areas, with altitudes between 3,900 and 5,200 ft above sea level (USDA 2018). Coffee here also benefits from a rich volcanic soil and frequent rainfall of its lush tropical climate.

Honduras grows primarily high-quality arabica beans in small or medium independent farms (UTZ). Ecological practices such as organic farming and shade-grown coffee, are common practices.

BRIEF HISTORY

The Central American country of Honduras is well-situated for growing coffee. Yet in the past, the lack of infrastructure hindered farmers’ ability to bring their coffee to the global market. Coffee was often smuggled into neighboring countries of Guatemala and El Salvador to avoid export taxes and fetch higher prices(Mercanta). In recent years, Honduran coffee production took a huge, successful turn thanks to support from a variety of government initiatives. Projects such as, the National Coffee Fund provide construction of new roads to coffee-producing regions. The result is a tremendous success for coffee production in the region.

Photo by Battlecreek Coffee Roasters on Unsplash

Marketing such as the “Cup of Excellence” promotional event and a focus on training has allowed Honduras to emerge as a new world leader in coffee production. In 2019, Honduran coffee won 6 awards in the Cup of Excellence with judges citing a carnival of flavors with hints of “peach, cherries, bergamot, and tropical fruits, as well as floral notes and caramel”(gcrmag). Wet processing is the most common, although honey processing which began in Costa Rica, is also employed. For an overview of Honey Processing read my article here.

Map of Honduras 6 Distinct Coffee Regions

Initiatives such as the Honduran Coffee Institute or IHCAFE, help farmers highlight artisanal coffees. HCI created 6 distinct coffee growing regions, each with its own distinct microclimate and cupping lab. Their website has a really cool interactive map that allows you to explore the flavor profile of each region.

Flavor Profiles of Honduran Coffee by Region

Copán — Bordering Guatemala, this region generally features Bourbon, Caturra and Catual varietals of coffee plants. The coffee flavor is well-balanced with chocolate flavor. La Ruta del Café (the coffee route) begins here and runs through Honduras.

Opalaca — East of Copan, you’ll find Opalaca which has fruit flavors of grape and berries, as well as a delicate acidity. Opalca’s claim to fame includes a local farmer who entered Honduras in the Cup of Excellence world coffee competition.

Montecillos — On the Salvadoran border, this region features a bright cup with aromatic fruit, with orange and peach flavors. The first registered origin denomination in Honduras, Café Marcala, hails from this region and it is the highest producing coffee region.

Comayagua — In Central Honduras, this coffee generally has a creamy body, vibrant citrus and chocolate notes. The moutains of this region provide rich micro-climates and shade-growing for plants. We will talk about why shade-growing coffee is more eco-friendly in a future blog.

El Paraiso — In the southern border touching Nicaragua, tends to feature smooth, light body and citrus flavors. They typically grow Cautuai and Caturra.

Agalta — This Southeastern region is known for tropical flavors with notes of caramel and chocolate, due to warmer weather and typically they grow Bourbon, Caturra and Typica.

Photo by Alex McCarthy on Unsplash

To learn more about Honduran coffee, I interviewed, Michael Martinez, who imports his family’s small-batch honey and natural processed coffee from Comayagua; a small-batch for his company, Mijos Martinez.

In a small village of Las Alejandras, in the Comayagua Region of Honduras, we can find the Martinez family farm. Mijos, meaning sons in Spanish, started as a the dream of one man — rooted in the love of his family and a vision of self-sustainability. Michael Martinez imports his family’s coffee; it is a small-batch, honey-processed coffee. Their coffee is beautifully crafted; it has a creamy body with strong flavors of dark chocolate, smooth earthiness, and subtle notes of tropical fruit. Martinez captures the love of his land in a cup. And their story is one worth telling. The Martinez family grows Catimor variety Arabica coffee. When I interviewed Michael about his project , I asked him what makes his connection to his family’s coffee so special and I could sense the immense pride in their product, and the continuity of the family farm. According to Martinez,

“My family originated in the Southern Part of Honduras in a small village in Morolica. My grandfather eventually moved North for more opportunity and came across some untouched mountain-side land available. He was a visionary for the future of his family and knew that he could plant many crops to become self-sustainable and provide for his children. Las Alejandras, specifically, is hard to find to this on a map, but it is a mountain-side village in the mountains of Taulabe, belong to the municipality/region of Comayagua, Honduras. We grow everything that we like to eat & sell to other corner stores or “pulperias”, as we call them. The mountain side is split into several territories where 4 brothers & grandfather own the land. Las Alejandras is very much Martinez run. The family grows coffee, bananas, plantains, rice, beans, sugar cane, yucca, oranges, clementines, guanabanas, potatoes, avocados, and I’m sure I’m forgetting something. The land is so rich and all the nutrients feed into each others crop living together in harmony.”

Taulabe, Comayagua, Honduras, Image by Michael Martinez of Mijos Martinez Coffee

Michael Martinez hopes to expand his business to help other farmers reach a global audience. Martinez said,

“. . . its nice to see the community coming together to help each other as true neighbors the best they can. My uncle told me, “We’re broke, but we’re not hungry!”, and that saying has really stuck with me.”

Consumers have the power to ensure artisanal products stay on the market and withstand the many challenges they face. In the current market, many producers have adapted. Michael Martinez has big dreams, with a clear driving vision for his coffee business. He believes in the power of coffee to bring people together, especially as a means of cultivating conversation and productivity, in his words,

“ . . .we emphasize the process of love for your crops and land & growing a true understanding of the plants and animals. . . it leaves you wanting more, bringing the family together for longer & makes sitting around for hours a fun organic, loving environment. . . ”

When I asked Martinez about his family’s history and his connection to Honduras he talked about his desire to share something beautiful about his homeland with the world and the memories of drinking cafecito with his grandmother. By importing coffee, he can directly help his family farm and keep the connection with them strong. He says, “I’ve always known we had amazing coffee . . this is another way for me to continue a lifetime connection with the family while also being able to help on the farm.”

With this business, Michael hopes to build a vision for the future of his coffee company, just as his grandfather did when he bought the parcel of land that created a future for many generations. In a global market that often pushes out the ‘little guy,’ consumers have the power to ensure artisanal products stay on the market, and withstand the many challenges they face. In the current market, many producers have adapted to reaching out to consumers directly, according to Martinez,

Helping my family is a small step in the larger vision that I have for Mijos Martinez Coffee. I have the blessing to directly connect my family’s Specialty Coffee to a new consumer, directly from the farm to your table. I want to bring this connection to other small farmers as well. With the coffee industry growing & 90% of farmers being small farmers, there are new associations being formed in order to give these small farmers a specific name within a region.

I asked Martinez about the challenges of coffee production, and he explained,

“The coffee my family is growing at the moment is specifically IHCAFE90, which is one of two varieties that have been resistant to a leaf rust illness that hit crops hard last (2018–2019) season drying out a lot of the harvest leaving small production & hurting lots of farmers. IHCAFE90 is of Catimor variety of the Arabica coffee species.”

His plan is to partner with other small family farms. He hopes to connect farmers to organizations such as COMSA, which helps farmers join together to sell their products. Most coffee farms in Honduras, about 100,000 of them, consist of small farms. This type of production produces unique artisanal products, such as honey-processed coffees that the coffee community craves. Informed coffee drinkers appreciate these“farm to cup” practices, and express a strong desire to learn more about coffee farming.

During COVID-19 I ran a coffee blog and learned about these beautiful efforts occurring in this engaged, interconnected community. Coffee roasteries, shops, and farms are working together in a beautiful synergy. I would argue that these efforts are awakening a fourth wave of sustainable farming, artisanal methods, and unique products. It is an emerging story and one we can all be a part of as consumers.

By connecting the two coffee cultures: the producer on a small farm to the coffee consumer around the world — a new culture is born that is dynamic and grows in understanding of products, artisanal knowledge, and community. The appreciation for a farmer’s labor makes all the difference, and it has an impact on global coffee production by allowing coffee farmers to focus on what they do best. It creates a better world — through our love of coffee.