La Misión farm is located in La Misión community in the municipality of San Marcos de Caiquin, Department of Lempira. It has an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level and is 7 km far away from the San Marcos de Caiquin town.

I come from a coffee grower’s family, my parents taught my brothers and me to cultivate coffee since that we could walk. We grew picking the coffee after the school and worked all the harvest season, for that reason coffee is our passion, is our life way.  Coffee is the main economic activity in this area, all our employees and their families depends directly of coffee production. At least 20 families work with us through the harvest season.

What natural resources conservation practices do you follow in the farm?
1 – Within the farm there is a protected area that is untouchable because it has water sources in 5.6 hectares.
2 – The 21 hectares plot of land has a low grade of inclination between 2 and 10% so it is almost flat and has no type of water erosion.

What is the secret for winning this competition (describe the preparation process of the competing lot)?
I think is because we make a proper process beginning with nursery plants, providing enough organic matter and making the fertilization according the advices of IHCAFE’s technicians. The picking is made when cherries are fully mature and the milling is made with clean and pure water that comes from the mountain and the drying process is made in solar driers.

Happy to know that the effort made in the farm has paid off.  It was my first time in COE, this experience allowed me meet other coffee producers and also international buyers.