New Coffee Release: Honduras Delmy Regalado Honey
Country - Honduras
Region - Ocotepeque
Altitude – 1520 masl
Varietal – Catuai, Pacas
Process – Honey
CARAMEL APPLE, PLUM, BAKING SPICES, CANDIED PECANS, ALMOND SYRUP
Honduras – The etymology of the word Honduras translates to “depths.” The country has an endless depth of history, culture, diversity, and potential. Home to direct Mayan descendants some of the most well-preserved Mayan ruins in the world, Honduras is a proud and persistent country. Honduras is also one of the most diverse places in the Western Hemisphere, boasting over 700 species of birds, over 100 species of mammals, over 6,000 species of plants, and more species being discovered regularly. The diversity, tenacity, climate, and rich volcanic soil all build the stage for coffee farmers to prosper. However, sometimes there are obstacles that aren’t so easily overcome.
Honduras has quietly become the largest coffee-producing country in Central America. While it may not have the prestige as some of its neighbors like Guatemala, Costa Rica, or El Salvador, Honduras has been exporting more coffee than any other nation in the region, coming in as the seventh largest in the world for coffee export.
Due to a heavier focus on volume, Honduras has not been known for high quality. Transport and processing infrastructure in Honduras pose some problems. Poor processing leads to inferior quality coffee, even if the coffee was grown in perfect conditions. Honduran farmers would often smuggle their crop into neighboring Guatemala, El Salvador, or Nicaragua to fetch higher prices. This led to some of the best coffee in Honduras getting sold as coffee from those other places.
Honduran producers also battle against coffee leaf rust, a fungal infection that leads to loss of leaves and prevents cherry development. It spreads quickly, and for smallholder farmers, which comprise 95% of coffee farmers in Honduras, it could mean total crop devastation. Little support to the farmers was given for a long time, leading them to take matters into their own hands.
Many farmers have banded together into small, supportive networks. Some groups have formed cooperatives that have been certified by organizations like Fair Trade. Others have simply pooled their resources together to purchase centralized mills that they own collectively and have improved their processing methods. Through the hard work and diligence of specialty-focused producers, the perception and quality of Honduran coffee have changed.
Delmy Regalado is an incredible example of a specialty-focused producer investing in her community, specifically educating and uplifting other women producers as a founding member of the organization, AMPROCAL. Many women coffee producers do not have access to funding from banking institutions and often are not recognized for their important roles as coffee producers. This association not only educates and supports female producers but also provides microfinancing for members to start their own businesses.
Regalado grew up as one of ten children. Her parents cultivated sugarcane on small plots but saw the potential for coffee and began growing it as well. As a second-generation coffee producer, Regalado works closely with her own three children to instill in them the love for coffee that her parents instilled in her.
This beautiful Honey processed coffee is de-pulped 24 hours after being harvested. It is dried on raised African beds with part of the mucilage left on the seed. This process takes about 22 days and results in a bright and succulent experience. This coffee takes us on a journey through our family's kitchen during autumn with bright-sweet notes of candied pecans, caramel apples, and baking spices as it finishes with an aftertaste of ripe plums. We are incredibly honored to partner with Delmy Regalado and other women producers of AMPROCAL.