Honduras Los Alcipreces - Emiliana Montoya

About the Producers

Emiliana Montoya is 46 years old, married with three children and two grandchildren, and began cultivating coffee in 2005, with the support of her husband, who has always been there for her and has helped her throughout the years to get to where she is now as a coffee producer. As a second-generation coffee grower, she follows in the footsteps of her parents, who were one of the first to grow coffee in their region, dedicating over 30 years of their lives to it. Back then, they used to grow what they call the “Indio” variety, which is a local typica variety.

Emiliana’s family has continued cultivating coffee because it is the most reliable source of income in the region and for her and her family, it is their sole means of support. She often reflects on how everything they have today, including their home, is thanks to coffee. But her journey has not been without challenges, Emiliana has faced a lifetime of selling her coffee at very low prices, and now, with increasing production costs and the rise of diseases and pests affecting her crops. She has struggled with providing for her family.

Looking to the future, Emiliana’s goals are to provide her children and grandchildren with better opportunities, to plant improved coffee varieties, and to continue producing specialty coffee each year. Her greatest dreams are to continue selling her coffee internationally, to one day meet the people who buy her coffee in other countries and to travel.

To her international buyers, Emiliana would like to express her gratitude. She wants them to know that her family works hard to ensure their coffee is of the highest quality. She hopes that one day she can visit them, and perhaps even see the cafés where her coffee is enjoyed.

Processing

Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and de-pulped right after, then fermented for 48 hours in tiled covered tanks. Then the coffee dries for 20 to 25 days on raised beds in a dome-shaped solar dryer. The resulting dried cherries are stored in hermetically sealed bags to preserve their quality.

Price

The FOB price for this lot was $3.33. [FOB price is the total price of the coffee up to the point of departure from the country; it includes farmgate/price paid to the grower, in-country transportation, and the cost of processing and preparation for export. It does not include the price of freight to the US, US warehousing, US customs charges, or the cost of moving coffee with the US.]

During the harvest season from October through March, the New York C price for coffee was an average of $1.82; the $3.33 FOB price for this coffee includes a significant premium for the farmer above the C market price, which reflects the excellent quality of this coffee. After being imported to a warehouse in the consuming country, the United States, the coffee cost was $5.35/lb. The cost of the shipping from the warehouse to our roastery made our final green price $5.60.

Avg. C Price (at the time of harvest): $1.74==82

F.O.B Price: $3.33

Ex-Warehouse: $5.35

Final Green Price: $5.60

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