Honduras Lempira | 5 drips

Javier Armando Romero Melgar comes from a family of coffee farmers. After obtaining a degree in Forestry Engineering, he decided to continue the family business. His father gave him a 4.2-hectare plantation, which they named San Isidro 2, following the family tradition. The farm is located in the community of Celaque, which is part of the Celaque National Park in the Copán region. The main variety of coffee grown there is Catuai, but recently they have also planted more rust-resistant varieties such as Lempira, IHCAFE90, and Parainema.

The coffee beans from this region have a special geographical indication (GI) called Honduran Western Coffees (HWC). San Isidro 2 is one of over 200 production partners of the Aruco cooperative, which was founded in 2006 by 14 farmers from Corquin. In 2013, Aruco started a micro-lot program aimed at producing high-quality coffee varieties. Through the association, Javier gained access to the best markets to sell his coffee.

Aruco provides technical assistance, financing, and international marketing for green coffee beans to all cooperative members. This approach ensures high productivity and environmental sustainability in production while contributing to the overall development of families in the region. Additionally, Aruco supports local educational and community projects, as well as healthcare centers.

The cooperative has its own processing station equipped with modular sections for washing and drying. They use eco-friendly equipment during the fermentation process to minimize water consumption, and they obtain hot air for drying the beans by burning coffee husks in special ovens.