Honduras Higland Coffee Growers
High in the mountains of Guaimaca, Honduras two brothers, Joel and Eric Showalter, formed a partnership for the purpose of providing Honduran coffee for Javataza. The Javataza Honduras Highland coffee comes from the Showalter brother’s farms as well as select lots of coffee from other local farmers in the surrounding communities in Honduras.
The Showalter brothers have been involved in growing coffee for many years. In 1995 their dad bought a coffee farm high in the mountains of Guaimaca, Honduras. Initially, they did what most coffee farmers do, and attempted to sell coffee through the local market. But profits were skimpy and the going was tough. Javataza helped change this. Thanks to our direct-trade model the Showalter brothers report that it is much easier for them to support their families in a developing economy since they started selling to Javataza.
In 2017, Eric and Joel installed a coffee drying facility. This enabled them to handle coffee more efficiently and have better control over the coffee quality. It also made it possible for them to start processing coffee from other farmers in the community.
Read About The Highland Farms
The Highland Coffee Process
Farming coffee is a year-round job. The coffee bushes begin to flower in April and May. This is a beautiful sight and speaks of good things to come. Most of the summer and early fall months are filled with weeding the fields, and fertilizing and pruning the bushes.
The coffee berries begin to ripen in November.
Employees pick the ripe berries, carrying them in baskets tied around their waist.
In the late afternoon, the pickers come in from the field and their berries are measured and the weight is recorded. The pickers are paid a fair wage based on the amount of coffee they pick.
Eric is responsible for the depulping and washing process for all the Honduras coffee that the Showalters process for Javataza. His commitment to cleanliness and good maintenance ensures a premium product, free from mold and other contaminants.
Joel and his family oversee much of the coffee drying process. This often involves all-night shifts and loads of backbreaking labor. In order to ensure the highest quality beans, they carefully monitor the drying temperature, final humidity and storage conditions of this Honduras coffee.
At the end of the harvest season, the sacks of dried coffee are loaded by hand onto a truck for transport to an export company where the coffee will be hulled, cleaned and packaged in preparation for shipping to Javataza
