Honduras Don Lencho Coffee Co-op
Don Lencho is a group of 20 individual, native coffee farmers in Honduras. They operate as a loosely-knit Co-op with a contract from Javataza to purchase their coffee. Javataza has been purchasing coffee from this group since 2013. Our sustainable, directly-sourced model of coffee sourcing enabled us to offer a contract price that was significantly better than other coffee buyers. These farmers report that they are very happy with the selling price, some years netting up to three times more than other local farmers average. This price difference has more local farmers wanting to join the Co-op. But we can only purchase the amount of coffee we can sell.
The Don Lencho group has farmers that produce anywhere from 300 – 10,000 lbs of coffee each year. In 2018 Javataza purchased 40,000 lbs of green coffee from the Don Lencho farmers. Lorenzo Ebersole, our contact, and the manager of the Co-op, reports that the ongoing relationship with the same farmers every year allows for better quality control. They are continually working with the farmers, encouraging them to work with small quantities and focus on quality. Selling to Javataza makes this possible.
Javataza is proud to be supporting the Don Lencho coffee farmers. Our relationship with this group of farmers is mutually beneficial: we get good quality, directly-sourced Honduran coffee from the same farmers every year; they get good prices, enabling them to practice good husbandry, implement land-saving practices, and live above poverty.
Buenaventura Gonzales (1300 lbs in 2017)
Francico Javier (300 lbs in 2017)
Teodoro Dominguez (2200 lbs in 2017)
Nicolas Sanchez (300 lbs in 2017)
Perfecto Sanchez (2,240 lbs in 2017)
Deysimo Mejia Montufar (4500 lbs in 2017)
Jose and Eligio's Family
The Don Lencho Coffee Farming Process
April
Coffee plants begin to bloom
May - June
Rainy season starts and the farmers are busy applying fertilizers and hand-chopping weeds
June - October
Farmers work to keep on top of weeds. Very few herbicides are used and none applied directly to plants.
November - February
Coffee is harvested and processed
- Farmers wet mill their own cherries, allowing them to ferment for several hours before washing.
- Farmers use their own solar dryers (look like hoop greenhouses) for pre-drying the coffee
- After pre-drying, the coffee beans are taken to a central location. Here the drying process is completed within 18-20 hours using a wood-burning mechanical dryer
- The coffee is then shipped to and stored in Siquatepeque
May - June
The coffee is hulled, sorted, and sacked in state-of-the-art facilities. It is then shipped to Javataza.
