Pedro Antonio Zuniga Macoto - Washed

Finca Name: El Encanto del Bambú

Finca Location (village, municipality, state): Tres Piedras, Tres Piedras, El Paraíso

Finca Size: 25 ha

Varieties: Parainema (80% de finca), Lempira (20% de finca)

Processing: Washed

Drying: Patio, Solar Beds

Elevation: 1300m

Pedro Zuniga's passion for agriculture is evident in the quality of products he always produces in his two most important fields: coffee and bananas. These two products are grown on his farm, El Encanto. The bananas are generally sold locally and in the neighboring country, Nicaragua, while the coffee, 60% of which is sold locally and 40% as specialty coffee.

Regarding coffee, Finca El Encanto has the capacity to produce 70% specialty coffee, and it is confirmed that this is a reality. However, he has not yet been able to find a buyer that can handle the entire amount of coffee produced, which ranges from 70 to 80 exportable bags, with an average score of 87% SCA. For this reason, some of the specialty coffee is sold as conventional coffee, thus missing out on the fair premium since local prices are evidently lower.

Despite these challenges, Pedro continues to invest in specialty coffees and has decided to expand the coffee-growing area with 5,400 more Parainema coffee plants, which will start producing in the 2025-2026 season. Additionally, he has opted to implement the knowledge gained from IHCAFE training to better maintain his farms, subjecting 45% of his farm to tissue management. This is aimed at motivating the older trees to regenerate and gain more strength to produce more.

Pedro Zuniga's dream remains alive as he hopes to find a good home for his coffee, where this relationship is a positive symbiosis, allowing him to deliver his excellent coffee and, in return, receive a fair price. This would enable him to continue maintaining his farm and, above all, his family, without having to rely on hard financing.