New Coffee Release: Honduras Alex Ponce Honey

The name Honduras translates to “depths,” a fitting description for a country rich in history, culture, diversity, and potential. As the homeland of direct Mayan descendants and some of the most well-preserved Mayan ruins in the world, Honduras stands as a proud and enduring nation. It is also one of the most biodiverse regions in the Western Hemisphere, home to over 700 species of birds, more than 100 species of mammals, and an astonishing 6,000 species of plants, with new discoveries continuously unfolding. This diversity, paired with its fertile volcanic soil and favorable climate, sets the stage for coffee producers to thrive. Yet, the journey to success is not without its challenges 

Honduras has quietly become the largest coffee-producing country in Central America. Though it may not yet carry the same prestige as its neighbors—Guatemala, Costa Rica, or El Salvador—Honduras has surpassed them in export volume, ranking as the seventh-largest coffee exporter in the world. 

Historically, the country's emphasis on quantity over quality, coupled with logistical and processing challenges, hindered its reputation. Poor post-harvest processing often diminished the potential of coffee, even when grown in ideal conditions. In search of better prices, many Honduran producers smuggled their beans into neighboring countries, where they were sold under different labels. As a result, some of Honduras' best coffees were long mistaken for those of Guatemala, El Salvador, or Nicaragua.  

Further compounding the difficulties, coffee producers in Honduras face the relentless threat of coffee leaf rust, a fungal disease that devastates crops by stripping plants of their foliage and inhibiting cherry development. For the smallholder farmers who make up 95% of Honduras’ coffee producers, an outbreak can mean total crop devastation. For many years, support was scarce, forcing farmers to find solutions on their own.

In response, a movement of resilience and collaboration took root. Farmers began forming tight-knit networks, pooling their resources to invest in centralized mills and adopting better post-harvest practices. Some established cooperatives certified by organizations like Fair Trade, while others sought direct relationships with exporters and buyers. Through their relentless dedication to quality, Honduran coffee has undergone a transformation, gaining recognition and redefining its place in the global specialty coffee industry.

We are proud to offer another amazing coffee from Alex Ponce, originally from Santa Barbara, he found the opportunity to buy a farm in the department of La Paz in the Marcala region of Honduras. 

Despite being just 90 miles south of Santa Barbara, La Paz coffees highlight how diverse the coffees of Honduras can be. Due to higher elevations and cooler evenings in La Paz, coffee cherries are given more time to ripen and mature resulting in sweeter characteristics and often notes of stone fruits. Alex also processes his coffee on the farm, this particular one using the Honey method, hand-picking cherries when they are bright red and drying the processed coffee on raised, sun-exposed beds. 

The result is a gentle, sweet, and crisp coffee, like biting into a fresh Gala Apple. The sweetness presents itself on the tip of the tongue like a sweet Danish Pastry, with a mouthfeel akin to Cherry Syrup. Finishing with a smooth milk-chocolate candy bar quality and mild raw honey.