Calahute Parainema Pink Honey

Alfonso Anzueta Jr.’s grandfather purchased 100 hectares in La Democracia, Huehuetenango in 1942. His grandfather initially grew citrus. In 1952, his planted 3 hectares with coffee. His first harvest was just 15-69kg bags of green coffee. By the 1970s, the entire farm was planted with coffee.  

In the early days, coffee was transported by horses and mules to market. The trip along the mountainous, dirt trails took 3 days.  

Alfonso Augusto Anzueto de Leon—Alfonsa Anzueta Jr.’s father—inherited the land from his own father and continued cultivating coffee. He focused on specialty coffee production and was extremely successful. He grew his farm from its initial 100 hectares to over 500 hectares, which was divided among his 3 children after his death in 2015.  

Alfonso Anzueto Jr., inherited Finca Calahute and has continued his father’s tradition of producing high quality specialty coffee.

After selective handpicking, ripe, red cherry is pulped in an eco-pulper and then laid to dry on the farm’s patios or in mechanical dryers. Parchment and remaining mucilage are transferred to drying patios where, as parchment dries, workers rake it frequently to promote even drying. After 3 days, parchment is moved to mechanical dryers where it continues to dry slowly for an additional 4 days. This careful, controlled drying preserves the coffee’s quality and wards off early aging.

Huehuetenango is well-known for its high altitude and consistent weather patterns. The region lies at a nexus of hot air sweeping eastwards from the Plains of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico and cool air rushing down from the Cuchumantanes Mountains. The meeting of this hot and cold air creates a microclimate that keeps frost in check and enables coffee cultivation at higher altitudes. Coffee production at 2,000 meters above sea level here is common. These conditions are perfect for producing the sparkling acidity and distinctive fruit flavors of the region. 

Parainema was first bred by IHCAFE (Instituto Hondureño del Café) in the 1980s. Part of the Sarchimor family, Parainema is coffee leaf rust (CLR) resistant. It does well at medium altitude and is a dwarf plant, which allows farmers to plant trees more densely to maximize yield per hectare.