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About the

Farm: PINO DE ORO Located in Ojo de Aguita, Concepcion del Sur, Santa Barbara. Main product grown in this area is coffee. The farm is located in the Buffer Zone of the Mountain of Santa Barbara, a ecological reserve declared as a National Park that has the same name as the mountain. It is one of central America´s least explored and most diverse ecosystems, consisting of 321.23 Km2 of clouded forest, tropical rainforest and pine forest. A wide variety of fauna such as Lowland paca, squirrels, raccoons, wild cats, parrots, mountain rooster and birds that have made their homes here, as well as a range of trees such as Pine, cedar, mahogany, laurel tree, avocado tree, ferns and other native trees and orchids. The population of this zone is originally of the Lenca ethnic, and many customs and traditions have been inherited from them. Coffee growing is the primary activity for direct and indirect generation of income and employment for this city. There are 234 coffee growers that grow almost 750 hectares and produce 11,281 sacks of coffee (an average of 15 sacks per hectare) that are about 90% small growers, with coffee as their main income source and basis for the majority of the families economy. The harvest begins in January and ends in June, done manually for which pickers are brought in from Las Vegas and also from nearby. Before the picking begins, the workers are oriented to only cut ripe cherries and to transport them to collection areas, using clean bags. The processing is done in a wet mill using clean water from the mountain. The coffee is then sun dried using IHCAFE´s solar dryers. The coffee is then transported by mule since there are no roads that access the farm. This is one of the most difficult tasks due to the steepness and difficulty of the trail. About his familyAs a coffee grower son, his father Martin Tinoco, originally from Quelepa, taught him how to grow coffee as a small boy. In the year 1998, his farm suffered a lot of damage with Hurricane Mitch, which forced him to move to the highlands of Ojo de Aguita, were Don Martin establishes his farm and eventually he inherits in 2006 to his son Oscar Edgardo who is now winner in COE. The Tinoco- Mejia family is made up of 5 people, Oscar, his wife Nora and three sons. What is the secret to your success? He considers that his success is based on discipline and in having a good processing operation. How do you feel being a winner of the Cup of Excellence Honduras 2010?I feel very happy to have accomplished my goal, which I had set from the time I began managing the farm.

His experience in the Cup of Excellence:

This is his second time he has participated in this event and hopes to continue in the future.