No. 5 · Honduras · Filter, Chemex, and French Press

The 280+ members who together form ‘CAFESMO’ have been working together for many years and formalised their collaboration in 2016. Their individual fincas are relatively small, most of them ranging roughly from 2 to 12 hectares, but united they stand strong, and together they stand for their motto: ‘diversity and quality’. All their fincas are FTO certified. More importantly, through careful selection they are slowly perfecting the varieties they grow at specific altitudes or soil types, as well as their growing techniques, and they are now able to offer a growing range of specialist profiles. In early 2019 they exported their first container of micro-lots to the UK. The area where they grow 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. Their plantations are protected by some of the highest peaks in the country. On the west side, Cerro Pital towers proudly over their fincas, and on the other flanks, the Guisayote National Reserve and the Pacayita Volcano create ideal conditions for growing coffee. The presence of the mountains creates very favorable microclimates, as well as a diverse fauna and flora on and around the plantations, with plenty of natural shade. The Ocotepeque area is also known for its fertile soil and the perfect altitude for growing unique, rich-tasting coffees. They are confident that Mercedes and Ocotepeque will continue to gain fame in the coming years, and with good reason. Their members grow coffee between 950 and 2,000 meters, although the majority of the land is between 1,200 and 1,600 meters. Thanks to this varied topography, they have a long harvest season, starting in late October and lasting until March. Their coffee varieties include: Pacas, Lempira, Parainema, Catuaí, Obatá, Colombia, IHCAFE90. They have their own wet and dry facility, and for their specialty coffees they prepare fully washed, semi-washed, red honey, black honey and natural batches. Recently they have started working with Carbonic Maceration (Anaerobic), which has resulted in some of their best profiles to date. That is why they have decided to increase their focus on anaerobic preparations because they simply love the richness and breadth of profiles they get from it. Their motto is ‘diversity and quality’, and this does not only apply to their coffees. Their members are also a diverse group, each standing for their own quality. They have young as well as older members, women and men, one who is a microbiologist, and one who has been a primary school teacher her entire adult life, alongside growing coffee. CAFESMO is a proudly Honduran initiative and is run entirely by Hondurans, but they collaborate with people from Canada, the USA and the Netherlands. That's why they can work directly with small importers and roasters, and they are happy to answer any inquiries in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and Dutch. Together they stand for 'diversity and quality', together they stand strong. Team CAFESMO