About This Coffee
We have been working with the Acosta family since 2016. They export coffee from every region of Honduras to many global markets. Cadexsa's main operations are based in Marcala but, led by Hilario’s son Omar, they have been expanding in Octopeque, where they have opened a new mill.
Cadexsa works closely with small and medium-size producers, cooperatives and Acosta-family farms. As a part of the Honduran coffee-growing community, Cadexsa’s nonprofit “Bean of Life” helps coffee-producing families with educational outreach, access to healthcare and much more. The nonprofit has brought seedlings, inputs and agricultural extension to member farmers and cooperatives. Additionally, they have helped organize medical brigades that bring dental and medical care to remote areas that do not typically have access. They have organized classes on good nutrition and brought computers and other school supplies to community schools.
CADEXSA OCCIDENTE is a coffee farmer group formed by 108 smallholder coffee farmers located in different zones in Ocotepeque. The group is part of the Cadexsa East supply chain. Altogether, this coffee producer group cultivates 526 ha of coffee area.
The Ocotepeque region is generally associated with solid Honduran cup profiles. Thanks to the environment with volcanic soil and excellent weather conditions, you will find full-bodied coffees here with a predominant chocolate profile and fruity nuances. Fortunately, producers in the region have been able to adapt their traditional techniques to organic farming methods.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
This season the coffee was processed by each individual producer at their own mill, under the quality standards agreed upon by Cadexsa. This way the producers have support throughout the season to maintain or improve the quality of the coffee, as well as a secure buyer. Next season these qualities will be processed at the new Cadexsa wet mill in Ocotepeque. The coffees are hulled and sorted at the Cadexsa dry mill at the same facility.
Coffee in Honduras
Honduras is a small yet mighty coffee producer. The country boasts the largest per capita coffee production in the world. Beginning in 2017, Honduras began placing in third place for Arabica production volume globally. For this slot, they compete with Ethiopia—a country 10 times larger than Honduras. The two countries trade between third and fourth place annually, but the achievement is impressive, nonetheless.
Honduras has everything it needs to become a premier specialty coffee producer. The country has the right growing conditions, abundant fertile soils and soaring altitudes (nearly all farms are at more than 1,000 meters above sea level), plus a variety of microclimates.
Beginning in the early 2000s the industry began to focus on quality. Improved infrastructure (better mechanical dryers, centralized wet mills, an increasing number of solar dryers), quality control/assurance trainings (separating lots by qualities, cupping schools, etc.), the rise of specialty-focused exporters, increased volumes of certified coffees and the strengthening cooperative movement all have worked in tandem to make Honduran coffee ‘one to watch’.
It is only in more recent years that coffee production in Honduras has reached specialty levels comparable to other Central American countries, but specialty roasters are responding with enthusiasm. In 2017, a lot in the Cup of Excellence garnered the highest price ever paid for a Cup of Excellence coffee in any country: $124.50 per pound (approximately $56.50 per kg).
Above all, while Honduras increasingly offers high end microlots, what the country arguably represents overall is exceptional value. Quality has improved massively over the last 15 years, and in addition to unique specialty lots, the country offers very solid, clean blenders at very attractive prices.