Rosalío and Elizabeth Ventura, Elizabeth Farm
My father recently passed away; he was 102 years old...
I'm convinced he lived so long because he always did what he loved, right up until the end of his days: growing, loving, and drinking coffee. I'm almost seventy now, and I feel alive and happy. If I'm lucky enough to live as long as my father, I still have 35 years of joy ahead of me!
My father started growing coffee on his own land in 1951, the year before I was born. For decades, we tried to maximize our yields to increase our income. But in 2011, for the first time, I sold a microlot for three dollars a pound to a roaster in the United States who trusted me. It was just the first step in what would gradually become a fantastic friendship and a great business partner.
In fact, in 1979, the Honduran government sent me to Costa Rica for three months to participate in a coffee cultivation course, and I taught there for years afterward. Gradually, I learned the best techniques for preparing specialty coffees, and I began building solar dryers and patios to dry the coffee according to the climatic conditions and the preferences of my customers.
Don Rosalío, whom you can see in this video, has dedicated more than five decades to coffee cultivation. He has worked with a select group of roasters since 2011 and generously shares his knowledge with the newest and younger members of Cafesmo.
Later, I started building dryers that have small openings at the bottom as well as at the top. This allows slightly cooler air to enter, then rise as it heats up, and escape through the openings at the top. This allows for a subtle airflow and more precise regulation of temperature and humidity, since I can also close the openings if needed.
Since my property is far from the village, there was no electricity when I bought the land, but luckily there is a small stream, so I decided to install a watermill to generate my own power and also pump water to irrigate when the plants need it.
I've been brewing specialty coffees since 2011, and I've learned to diversify between washed, semi-washed, natural, and red, yellow, and black honey processes. I focus most on honey and natural batches because I believe they offer the richest flavors and most consistent profiles.
Because I own a 5.5-hectare farm and focus primarily on specialty coffees, I can offer a wide range of products and partner with a dozen roasters in different countries. This allows me to establish long-term personal relationships with each of them and offer exclusivity for their specific batches and markets. Through CAFESMO, I can ship my coffee worldwide.
Let me know if you want to know about coffee, it's all I talk about!
Property details
5.5 hectares of well-cared-for plants on two plots.
One plot is located at 1,360 meters , where I cultivate Parainema and Icatú . The second plot is at 1,550 meters , with Parainema and Obata .
Both plots are FTO and Rain Forest Alliance certified .
Where there's no forest, I focus heavily on citrus fruits: tangerines, oranges, limes. When the fruit falls, it shares its citrus flavor with the surrounding coffee plants through their roots. It's an explosive, rich, almost provocative flavor.
