Gloria Henriquez - Washed

I REMEMBER VIVIDLY HOW MY GRANDPARENTS CLIMBED THEIR COFFEE TREES WITH LADDERS TO PICK THE BEANS…

The trees were thick and they easily grew 6 meters (20 feet) high. We called them ‘Café Indio’, or ‘Indian Coffee’ and the variety was a bourbon, but not particularly tasty and they barely made enough to scrape by. 

The new generation of coffee growers laugh at me when I tell them about the way we worked in the old days, but I see my experience and wealth of knowledge, even if from another era, as an advantage. 

I’m a fourth generation coffee grower and currently work with two of my brothers. For each of us, it’s impossible to manage the land on their own, especially now that we’re older. 

When the rust hit us, around 2013, it hit us methodically and ruthlessly. I think I’ve never been closer to despair than I was back then. I had no income, no money for more than one meal per day, went into debt, it was horrific. Little by little, I pulled myself out of that deep hole, and then decided to diversify. Nowadays, I hold around 100 chickens behind the house, which I sell to little eateries, neighbors, and anyone else in town.  

It’s a small but steady source of income, but while I love looking after the chicks, and while they are really tasteful (no hormones, no antibiotics, lots of space to wander about), my heart and soul are entirely invested in coffee.

This year, I have three bags that scored 85, but someone else has helped me with the preparation. Now, I am convinced that this is the way to go for the humblest growers with less than a hectare, like myself: produce one or two high quality micro-lots, and build a relationship of trust and close collaboration with one or two roasters.

Farm facts

I only have 0,7 hectares in my name. Humble, but enough to grow some great beans from the Lempira and IHCAFE 90 varieties. 

Altitude: 1,220 meters.

There are lots of trees on the land, they were there before I even bought it, and I’ve planted izote to mark the limits of my land, to break the breeze as well. 

My farm is FTO certified.

This farm is Rain Forest Alliance certified.