11 - El Mirador - Honduras 2024

I'm Elder Chavez and I've been in the coffee industry for 15 years. In 2015, I embarked on my journey into specialty coffee with Catimor 90. I started production and sold it to San Vicente Exports in my community. I stuck with this variety until 2020 when I decided to replant my farm with pacas. Despite facing skepticism from my community, I believed it was the right step. However, later that year, I encountered health issues due to a brain tumor, resulting in the loss of my greenhouse and a halt in coffee production.

In 2021, after overcoming my health issues, I found myself without coffee. San Vicente Exports provided me with a few seeds to start a new greenhouse, which turned out to be the geisha variety. By 2023, I had my first harvest with this variety, yielding excellent results. Although encouraged to participate in the Cup of Excellence (COE), I hesitated due to my lack of knowledge about the process. However, this year, I finally decided to participate, with faith in God guiding me.

Participating in COE this year was challenging. I almost missed the deadline to send the sample, but thankfully, a cousin informed me in time. I ended up using a different batch than the one I intended for COE because it wasn't at the right humidity levels to participate. Despite this setback, I trusted in God and sent my sample on time. Unfortunately, due to complications from my brain tumor, I couldn't attend the COE winner award ceremony. It was a pleasant surprise when they called to inform me of my victory. I trust in God to guide me through the auction and the rest of this process.