88.41
Farms name and location:
El Guacaral I farm is located in the El Filo community in the municipality of La Union, Department of Lempira. It has an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level and is located 65 km from the departmental capital and ten kilometers from urban area. This farm is managed through an agroforestry system under the shade and focused in the soil and water conservation. It also has timber and coniferous trees and the clearing is done manually with tools such as machete and/ or hoe, avoiding the use of agrochemicals.
What is your farms history? Is your farm a family unit? How long has it belonged to your family? How many members make up your family? In the year 2000 my husband Luis Juarez and I bought 20 hectares of land that was used for grazing livestock, once we bought the land, we started to grow the variety catuai coffee which predominates in the area, the first farm we cultivated was 5 hectares and every year we have been increasing our production unit and now we have 10 hectares of coffee and the rest I gave it to my children so they form their patrimony, in the 10 hectares I grow 200 qq green coffee of the catuai variety. All my family is involved in the farms activities since its our main source of income. We have 6 offspring all married. I am in charge of a 15 year old granddaughter. How many persons work in your farm, family members, permanent employees and temporary employees? All my family is involved in the farms activities, we have a permanent employee and hire around 20 workers to pick the harvest and they are responsible for farms cleaning and maintenance, pruning process and the fertilizations.
What natural resources conservation practices do you follow in the farm? 1 The coffee is grown under the shade of forest trees, besides planting in curves at level to minimize the erosion of the soil.
2 The Cooperativa Cafetalera Quiscamote Limitada COCAQUIL, from which I have been member for the last 6 years, is in charge of the milling process so we dont generate coffee wastewater in our farm. 3 All the cooperatives members use the coffee residues (pulp) from the farms as organic fertilizer. What is the shade percentage and the varieties found in your farm? All the coffee in my farm is under regulated shade and I use for shade Guama (Inga), coniferous and fruit trees (Musaceaes.) What type of fertilization process do you use in your farm? I use the chemical fertilizer 17-3-17 twice a year which is distributed by IHCAFE and also organic fertilizer and compost.
What type of management do you use in your farm (traditional, semi-technical, technical?) The management of the farm is semi-technical, with technical assistance from IHCAFE we are following several practices for tissue management such as half pruning, topping and shade pruningAre you part of an association or cooperative? I am a member Cooperativa Cafetalera Quiscamote Limitada (COCAQUIL) which has 35 members and we collaborate among ourselves with the cultivation management practices under technical guidance by IHCAFE.What is the secret for winning this competition (describe the preparation process of the competing lot)?1 The geographical location of my farm and the environmental conditions.
2 Good planting, harvesting and milling practices3 - Harvesting coffee at the optimum ripeness.
How does it feel to be a winner of the Cup of Excellence? I feel very fortunate to have been able to participate in the competition at a regional, national and international level and these events gives us knowledge about the quality of coffee produced in our region, besides allowing me to establish a process of continuous improvement for my farm.
Who prepares your coffee for exportation? (Explain how you sell it and to whom)The cooperative sells our parchment coffee to the exporters SOGIMEX and BECAMO. What is your opinion of the Cup of Excellence? 1 It benefits the grower.
2 It motivates growers and promotes the quality of our coffee.
3 It helps improve our quality of life.
4- It helps improve the quality of the coffee. What has been your experience in the Cup of Excellence? It is my first time I participate and I got to participate in the online auction with a total of 65 qq of parchment coffee.
Rank | 6 |
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Farm Name | Guacaral 2 |
Farmer/Rep. | Sara Juárez |
Altitude | 1550 |
Country | Honduras |
Year | 2012 |
Size (30kg boxes) | 62 |
City | La Union |
Region | Lempira |
Program | Honduras 2012 |
Month | - |
Aroma/Flavor | AROMA: currants, plum, jasmine, citrus blossom, coffee blossom, tropical fruit,FLAVOR: pineapple, honey, floral, red berries, bergamot, green tea, apricots, dried plum, Coca-Cola |
Acidity | candied grapefruit, orange, red apple, transparent, complex |
Other | viscous, delicate |
Processing system | Wet Process , sun dried |
Variety | Catuai |
Coffee Growing Area | 10 |
Farm Size | 10 |
Auction Lot Size (lbs.) | 4092 |
High bid | 7.90 |
Total value | 32326.8 |
High bidders | Wataru & Co., Ltd. |