The coffee story
We, the 280 members who together form ‘CAFESMO’, have started our coop in 2016. Our individual farms are relatively small, most of them ranging roughly from 2 to 12 hectares, but united we stand strong, and together we stand for our motto: ‘diversity and quality’.
All of our finca’s are certified Fair Trade, Organic, Rain Forest Alliance and Bird Friendly. We focus a lot on agroforestry (60 - 75 % shade on most of our farms, fruit trees for local consumption, soil and water management).
The area where we cultivate coffee, a large zone around the hills of Mercedes, is located in the very south of Honduras, a stone’s throw from El Salvador and Guatemala. Our plantations are protected by some of the country’s highest peaks.
VIDEOOn the west side, Cerro Pital proudly towers above our fincas, and on the other flanks, Guisayote National Reserve and the Pacayita volcano create ideal conditions to grow coffee. The omnipresence of mountains creates highly beneficial micro-climates, as well as a diverse fauna and flora on and around the plantations, with plentiful natural shade.
The region of Ocotepeque is known for its rich soil and perfect altitude range to grow unique, richly flavored coffees. We are convinced that Mercedes and Ocotepeque will continue to gain in fame over the next few years, and deservedly so.
Our members grow coffee between 950 and 2,000 meter (3,100 to 6,500ft), though most of the land is located between 1,200 and 1,600 meters. Thanks to this varied topography, we have a long harvest season, that starts in October and lasts until March.
Our Coffee Varieties include mostly Pacas, Lempira, Parainema, Catuaí, Obatá, Colombia, IHCAFE90…
We have our own wet mill and for our specialty coffees we prepare fully washed, semi-washed, honey, and natural lots. Around 2021, we decided to also increase our focus on anaerobic and yeast preparations, because we are simply in love with the richness and breadth of the profiles we get from it.
Our motto is ‘diversity and quality’ and that not only goes for our coffees. Our members are also a diverse group and each stands for their own quality. We have young people as well as less young members, women and men, someone who is a microbiologist, and one who has been an elementary school teacher his whole adult life, next to growing coffee.
Together, we stand for ‘diversity and quality’, together we stand strong.
Team CAFESMO
