Honduras SHG Microlot - Kellton Obed Urrutia *TOP LOT*

This is a washed SHG microlot from producer Kellton Obed Urrutia and his farm Las Minas in the Celaque region of western Honduras.

THE PRODUCER

Kellton Obed Urrutia Trejo is a 29 year old farmer from Erandique district, in the state of Lempira in Western Honduras. Kellton is the son of coffee producers Saul Antonio and Ruth Arely, and as such as grew up learning 'the ropes' of farming: from agronomy, to harvesting and processing. From a young age he helped out in his spare time with activities like pulping, washing and drying. In 2008, Kellton graduated from high school at the Pompilio Ortega agricultural school in Macuelizo, Santa Barbara and in 2009 was offered a scholarship to study at Escuela Agricola Panamericana El Zamorano which he rejected to work as an agricultural instructor in the Salomon Sorto Zelaya technical institute in Santa Cruz, Lempira.

In 2010 Kellton left his teaching duties to work in potato & dairy farming on a small scale. His parents - being lifelong coffee farmers - weren't too impressed with this move but supported him anyway. To encourage Kellton to rediscover coffee, his father loaned 1ha of land for coffee production which Kellton was able to pay back with the production. Since then Kellton has acquired more land and started to put his expertise to use with specialty coffee, re-discovering a love for the crop which formed the backdrop of his upbringing.

THE PROCESS

Harvesting is carried out selectively and by hand. Ripe cherries are mechanically pulped and fermented in concrete tanks for 12-16 hours depending on ambient conditions. After thorough washing, the parchment coffee is sun-dried on a concrete patio for 6-8 days (until the optimum moisture content is reached.) At this point the coffee is rested in a clean, cool and dry environment before secondary processing (milling, grading, sorting).