Oscar Alexy Rivera, Tontolar and Las Lomas Farms

It was a first for our family. Although, in fact, I had given a microlot of honey that was tasted at SCA 87 in our regional Cup of Excellence competition, but I never received any prize money for it.

Now that we've joined Cafesmo, we can offer our coffees more directly to a larger group of roasters. My family and I are able to prepare excellent microlots. Together, we can offer quite a few varieties, sourced from farms located at different altitudes. In total, we're a group of about 15 producers in our area, called El Pinal, which is incredibly well located.

It's very remote and beautiful, far from any pollution, traffic, cities, or industry. Even from Cafesmo (which is already deep in the mountains) it's an hour's drive in the dry season, while in the rainy season we're sometimes cut off from the rest of the world for days.

The lowest farms start at 1,500 meters, and the highest end at 2,000. Mine is at 1,850 meters, very high by Honduran standards. The coffee ripens slowly, and I start harvesting two months later than farmers who cultivate at 900 meters. When I've harvested my beans, I have to carry them on my back for twenty minutes before reaching a small dirt road where I can load them into the back of our vehicle. Sometimes, when I can afford it, I rent a mule for a few hours. But that's only possible once I've sold the first coffees at a better-than-expected price.