Honduras COPROCAEL Organic comes to us from the Cooperativa de Productores de Café La Encarnacion Limitada in the Copan region of Honduras. Honduras’ temperate and tropical climates create famously sweet and robust coffees. Further, the cool weather in Copan encourages a delicate acidity in the cherries that’s evident in COPROCAEL coffees.
About the Cooperative
COPROCAEL was established in 2000. It is comprised of 261 local producers and supports members with a wide range of services, including training around processing.
Its centralized wet mill optimizes efficiency and quality for the group. For instance, cherry is sorted through siphons to separate the ripe fruit, and pulp and is removed with a machine pulper. Additionally, after parchment is washed and patio dried, it is sent through mechanical driers for 30 to 35 hours to achieve a consistent and precise final moisture level.
Cooperative Trainings
COPROCAEL provides annual trainings for producers between April and October. It tackles economic, environmental and sustainability with a multi-facetted education. Topics include farm, soil, water source and input management. It also discusses how to best work with local flora and fauna on the farms.
Youth-focused trainings address soil management, coffee plantation management, shade farming and coffee-cupping education. The Cooperative’s staff also offers training in administrative practices, documentation management and farm certification. Importantly, they also assist producer members with Organic, UTZ and Coffee Practice certifications.
Cupping notes: Citric acidity, good body, chocolate, tropical fruits
