David and Rolando Aguilar: The Legacy of Las Cañas
Las Cañas is not just coffee. It is an ecosystem where nature and human labor intertwine.
The sun had just begun to rise over the mountains of Honduras when David Aguilar, wearing his straw hat and muddy boots, walked across the 1,000 hectares of Las Cañas, the farm his family has cultivated with devotion since 1945. By his side, his brother Rolando, with the same determination in his gaze, checked on the cows grazing freely across the property. The 70 hectares of coffee, divided into eight plots, gleamed under the morning light, while the sounds of toucans and the rustling of the wind through the oaks and pines filled the air.
Deep Roots
David and Rolando’s story began long before they were born. Their grandparents purchased this land in 1945, but it was their father, an 80-year-old man (as of 2026) with boundless energy, who decided in 1978 to dedicate himself to coffee, leaving behind the potato crops that had dominated the region. "Before, working for the government was our father’s daily bread," David recalls, "but he saw in coffee an opportunity to build something lasting." Their father, a potato farming specialist, transformed Las Cañas into a haven of biodiversity and productivity. Today, David, an agronomist, and Rolando, a zootechnical engineer, have taken that vision even further, combining the academic knowledge they acquired at the prestigious Zamorano University with the wisdom passed down through generations.
A lively Farm
Las Cañas is more than just coffee. It is an ecosystem where nature and human labor intertwine. The cows, milked once a day, sleep under the stars, and the most productive ones can yield up to 15 liters of milk daily. "The cowboy watches over them, but they are free," Rolando explains. The coffee, grown between 1,300 and 1,600 meters above sea level, is harvested over an 18-week cycle, from November to March, starting in the lowest plots and ending in the highest and most shaded ones.
The farm is a sanctuary for wildlife: jaguarundis, deer, toucans, hawks, snakes like rattlesnakes and boas, and even a deer rescued years ago that reproduced in freedom. "Here, we protect the forest," David says with pride. "Water is abundant, and the coffee grows healthy. We almost always achieve high scores in cupping." The shade trees—pines, oaks, guamas, guanacastes, and pepetes—not only shelter the coffee plants but also host a variety of fruit trees: oranges, avocados, bananas, plantains, lemons, tangerines, and mangoes. "It’s for the wildlife, for the employees, and a little for sale," Rolando clarifies.
The coffee varieties they cultivate—IH-Café 90, Lempira, Colombia, Obatá, Catuai, Icatú, and San Ramón—are the result of constant evolution. "Before, my father had bourbon, caturra, villasarchi, but the rust disease wiped them out. We had to adapt," David remembers. Now, they can opt for a transition toward organic certification if they wish. "We use chemical fertilizers, but no pesticides."
Coffee as a Livelihood
For David and Rolando, coffee is more than a crop: it is a heritage, a culture, and the sustenance of Las Cañas. "We grew up with coffee," David says. "As children, we helped with the manure by hand. Now we do it with tractors, but our love for the land remains the same." Although the price of coffee has risen, production costs—fertilizers, labor—have increased even more. "Coffee brings in more income than cattle, but we don’t earn more than before," David explains. Still, they are doing well. Their father, always innovative, has added three small lagoons near the house where he raises tilapia, catfish, and lobsters, diversifying the family’s income.
The future of Las Cañas lies in separating coffee batches by quality, something they already do with precision. "Without cupping, we know which are the best," David assures. They also dream of continuing to protect the forest and improving the wet processing, key to maintaining the excellence of their coffee.
Life Beyond Coffee
Away from the farm, David and Rolando have other passions. David, married with two daughters aged 2 and 6, enjoys cattle ranching and rents out spaces in La Esperanza to generate additional income. Rolando, for his part, shares with his brother a deep love for Honduras and a strong rejection of corruption. "We want to change the idea that Honduras is just a banana republic," David says. "This country is a paradise: climate, nature... but we don’t make the most of its wealth."
To share their knowledge, David created The Coffee Republic, a YouTube channel where he explains the secrets of coffee. "We love our country and want the world to see what we are capable of," Rolando adds.
A Legacy in Motion
The Aguilar family is an example of resilience and passion. Their father, at 80 years old, remains active, and their two sisters—one deceased and the other independent in La Esperanza—are part of a story that continues to be written. "Coffee is part of us," David concludes. "It’s what feeds us, what connects us to the land, and what we want to leave for future generations."
At Las Cañas, coffee is not just a bean: it is a promise.
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