Finca San Francisco is one of three parcels of land inherited by Roger Antonio Domínguez Márquez from his father. Like its neighbor Las Flores, it occupies around 4 hectares at 1,500 meters, an optimal elevation for the Montesillos region.
The farm is mostly planted with three varieties: bourbon, caturra, and catuaí. Each is known for its potential for very high quality, but challenging for farmers due to high susceptibility to pathogens and pests. This specific lot is entirely bourbon, an older, tall-growing variety which we love for the sweet and rounded cup it produces.
The natural process is the oldest and most rudimentary processing method, but a challenging one to carry out at the highest quality. It is both common and most effective in places where water is scarce and rainy seasons are very well defined. Naturals have become increasingly popular in Honduras in recent years, with many of the best coming from Roger's community of Marcala.
The farm is mostly planted with three varieties: bourbon, caturra, and catuaí. Each is known for its potential for very high quality, but challenging for farmers due to high susceptibility to pathogens and pests. This specific lot is entirely bourbon, an older, tall-growing variety which we love for the sweet and rounded cup it produces.
The natural process is the oldest and most rudimentary processing method, but a challenging one to carry out at the highest quality. It is both common and most effective in places where water is scarce and rainy seasons are very well defined. Naturals have become increasingly popular in Honduras in recent years, with many of the best coming from Roger's community of Marcala.
Producing a coffee like this begins with the most exacting standards of picking and sorting. Perfectly ripe fruits are hand-picked and laid out in thin layers on raised platforms under sun exposure. The coffee is carefully and very routinely turned as it dries, usually requiring several weeks. Afterwards, the fruit is hulled to remove the dried fruit husk and parchment. When the coffee eventually arrives at our warehouse in Brooklyn, the unroasted coffee—normally a bluish-green—will be stained almost red from prolonged interaction with the drying fruit.
Honduras produces quite a lot of coffee—ranking fifth globally and first among Central American countries—but has historically lacked the infrastructure and processing facilities necessary to meet its clear potential. In the last 20 years the country has made incredible progress in developing its specialty coffee sector thanks to the talent and ambition of producers like Roger.
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I spoke briefly to Roger in advance of this release, who shared: "It is also worth mentioning that each year from our profits we support community projects that help the development of our community. This past year we have contributed $2,500 to the reconstruction of a school in the community where we have our farms and that school is attended by children of the people who support us in the work of harvesting and drying our coffee. Also year after year we support different youth soccer teams in our department."
Honduras produces quite a lot of coffee—ranking fifth globally and first among Central American countries—but has historically lacked the infrastructure and processing facilities necessary to meet its clear potential. In the last 20 years the country has made incredible progress in developing its specialty coffee sector thanks to the talent and ambition of producers like Roger.
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I spoke briefly to Roger in advance of this release, who shared: "It is also worth mentioning that each year from our profits we support community projects that help the development of our community. This past year we have contributed $2,500 to the reconstruction of a school in the community where we have our farms and that school is attended by children of the people who support us in the work of harvesting and drying our coffee. Also year after year we support different youth soccer teams in our department."
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