Honduras - Aracely Martinez

The Producer

Aracely Martinez Gomez has been working in coffee since 2004, learning to farm from her father Felipe Martinez who entered into coffee production in the 1990’s as the first generation of this family of coffee producers.

Aracely cultivates over 7,200 coffee planted over 1.39 hectares. The farm is a combination of IH90 and Catimor planted). Fertilization traditionally takes place twice in May and in October, to feed the recovery from fruiting and the growth for the next harvest which runs from January to March. Aracely is the Manager of Tierra Lenca women's group.

Coffee Processing

Aracelty utilizes a concrete tank filled with water to separate the floaters and any foreign material from the ripe cherries. Cherries are then left to ferment in the tank for an additional 12 hours before being mechanically depulped, leaving the mucilage on parchment. Coffee is then left to dry on a solar dryer for approximately 15 days or when it achieves 11% moisture.

Tierra Lenca Womens Group

Tierra Lenca is a women-led group of coffee farmers who are based in the highlands of the Opalaca region. Coffees from Opalaca, which lies to the east of Copán, are known for their complex flavours.
In particular, Tierra Lenca’s well-balanced coffee has notes of jasmine and sugarcane, a bright citric acidity, and a juicy body.
While the group started life in Tres Cruces, it has since spread to share its knowledge and expertise with other coffee-growing communities in Opalaca.
Several villages from Erandique in particular have benefited from Tierra Lenca’s ongoing efforts to drive up quality. These have included the introduction of new processing methods, trade opportunities, and community projects.
As a women-led group of farmers, we find Tierra Lenca to be particularly inspiring. Over the years, they have consistently demonstrated how quality can be improved by empowering women to actively participate in decision-making.