Nery Espinoza, El Limón Farm
I come from a family of eleven siblings, and I started working with my father on our coffee farm when I was ten years old...
Although I continued going to school for a few more years, there was hardly enough income to feed so many mouths, and it was necessary for someone to help out on the land.
But when I was sixteen, our father died, and I suddenly became responsible for the well-being of the entire family. To make matters worse, coffee prices plummeted on the international market shortly afterward, and Honduras was also hit by a coffee rust outbreak.
I had what you might call a tough start in life, but thankfully all those early difficulties also shaped me into a fighter, someone who doesn't give up, no matter how big the obstacles in my path. Little by little, my brother Obdulio, my brother-in-law Francisco, and I were able to obtain loans, which we used to expand our farms and invest in our own wetlands and improved farming practices.
This allowed us not only to increase our yield but also to improve the meager margins initially offered for our coffee. Over the years, each of us has specialized in our own area. I've built a processing and storage facility where I prepare all our family's coffee, but I also process coffee for nearby farmers.
My brother Obdulio and his wife Ana Beatriz have joined forces to cultivate a range of varieties on different plots at varying altitudes, each with its own microclimate, allowing us to harvest over an extended season and offer a wider range of profiles.
Francisco and his son Javier focus on the quality and preparation of specialty coffees. In fact, my nephew Javier (19 years old in 2019) is studying to become a coffee taster. His goal is to further diversify our specialty coffee offerings and work in tandem with the tasters of purchasing roasters, to propose microlots that correspond to each of their preferences.
For some years now, I've also been roasting my own coffee, mainly to supply regional cafes and supermarkets. And, of course, to enjoy a cup at home with breakfast, or after lunch. While I remain as ambitious as ever and am working with my brothers on several plans to further develop our family's farms and offerings, I'm also immensely grateful for everything we've been given and for what we've been able to achieve.
Property details
My farm is located between 1,050 and 1,150 meters and I grow Pacas , Pacamara , Parainema , IHCAFE 90 and Lempira .
The total land area is 22.5 hectares.
There are typical trees of the area such as the oak, the izote, the guanagiquil, the guamo, the madreado, but I have also planted bananas and citrus trees.
This farm is FTO and Rain Forest Alliance certified .
