Honduras San Vicente Bourbon - Nancy Hernandez (2019)

This is a washed SHG grade microlot from producer Nancy Hernandez's farm Finca Jazmin in the Comayagua region of western Honduras. This lot was produced as part of a collaborative project with Beneficio San Vincente. Read more about this project in our blog post, “New, Different, Exciting: Microlot Separation and Prep in Honduras.”

THE PRODUCER

Nancy Hernández Contreras is a small farmer from the community of Trapiche, Chinacla department. From the age of 8, Nancy helped her father pick coffee cherries in her spare time. She had no idea of the hard work or discipline required to be a full time coffee farmer, nor the intricacy and length of the supply chain. Her father had been a coffee producer since the 1970s, but the regional customs were very male-oriented and women typically had no right to inherit land or be involved in coffee production. But more recently, little by little, things have started to change. Not only have women become an accepted part of the industry, their unique contribution has been recognised and valued. When she was 15, Nancy got her first part time job working at a coffee co-op. Starting out as a cleaner, she studied hard and worked her way up, surrounding herself with people who work along the value chain and soaking up as much knowledge as possible. It was during this period that she realised that coffee was her calling and her future.

In 2002, Nancy bought her farmland from an uncle and together with her sister and mother they started planting coffee, armed with an abundance of knowledge which was able to jumpstart access to the specialty market with the best farming, harvest and processing practices. Unlike many of her peers, Nancy immediately looked for differentiated markets, selling 10 bags to a Canadian buyer off her own back.

Finca Jazmin is a 2.1ha farm situated at 1,550masl and planted with Catuai (40%), Pacas (40%) and Bourbon (20%).

THE PROCESS

Ripe coffee cherries are pulped on the day of harvest and then dry fermented for an average of 22 hours. The coffee is then washed with plenty of clean water until the remaining mucilage has been removed. After washing the coffee is transferred to raised African beds where it is dried for 18-25 days depending on the ambient conditions.

THE REGION

Chinacla is a municipality of coffee culture and people have been cultivating coffee for more than 50 years. It belongs to a wider region with Denomination of Origin called "Cafe de Marcala". The DO registration was granted on November 18, 2005 in the municipality of Marcala, the DO serves to designate, distinguish and protect a product based on its special characteristics derived from the geographical environment in which it is made - including the terroir, cup profile and culture.