El Ocotillo - Honduras 2005 Verified listing

History

In 1979 Mr. Benitez gave his first step as a coffee producer, he planted his first coffee farm in the small village of San Jose, in the department of Comayagua. In 1990 he moved to his current location, the village of El Ocotillo were he bought one hectare of coffee. Currently he has 5 hectares of Coffee and besides he plants vegetables like corn, beans, carrot, radish among others. Mr. Benitez is well known in his community and he dedicates part of his time to church activities since he is a spiritual leader in his village. He is also part of the coffee group "APROCAFE". Quality Practices Mr. Benitez has a unique way for processing his coffee, no wonder why he won the first position in the cup of excellence, Honduras 2005. At the wet mill he monitors the time and the way each step is done in order to get the best quality of coffee. His well trained people just picks the mature fruits in order to keep the grain quality. The pulping process is done with care and the washing in fermentation tanks. After, the coffee is passed through the selection canal in which high and medium quality grains are classified. The dry process is done by distributing the coffee over mesh grill infrastructure and cement platforms. Storage conditions are optimal, temperature is keep within the allowed range and the packing bags are new and made of nylon.

Environmental Care

This Coffee is shade grown and the water coming from the wet mill is treated in waste water tanks to reduce pollution on the soils and water bodies. Mr. Benitez produces bio-fertilizer by using Californian earthworm ( Eisenia foetida ) and his shade trees host a great diversity of species. Fertilization Bio-fertilizers produced in the same farm are the mostly used. when necessary supplements of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and potassium are applied. Disease and Pest Control Cultural practices and biological control when necessary Harvesting Handpicking of ripe grains of Coffee begins in January and finish in March. This task is performed by skillful men and woman. Pulping and Fermentation Mr. Benitez has his own pulping machine and a fermentation tank with classification canals for best separation of coffee types. Drying Mr. Benitez dry his Coffee over cement platforms by using the sunlight heat.

Other Statistics:

Annual Production: 70 Bags
Soil type: sandy clay loam
Annual precipitation: 1,200 mm/year
Shade Trees Species: Guama, Liquidambar, wood trees, Guajiniquel and Musaceas
Water Source: Natural water sources from the farm
Number of Permanent Employees: 1
Number of Temporary Employees: 8