Efrain Marquez - Honduras - Washed

Region: Cantoral, Comayagua, Honduras

Farm: La Bendicion

Processing: Anaerobic Washed

Elevation: 1500 -1600 masl

Varietals: Paraneima

Importer/Exporter: Semilla

FOB: $3.36USD/lb

Farm Gate: 7500 Lempira / quintal green coffee

Tastes Like: Apricot, Nougat, Cola

Efrain Márquez and his family have cultivated coffee for generations. His grandfather and father dedicated their entire lives to coffee farming, as coffee is the main crop in their region and the primary source of income for their family. Efrain himself began working with coffee at an early age, helping his father and learning from him since he was ten years old. In 2011, his father passed down a plot of land to him, and with much effort, Efrain managed to plant the area, which now spans three hectares.

As a third-generation coffee grower, Efrain takes pride in carrying on this family tradition. In their community, coffee farming is not only a family legacy but a necessity, as it provides essential income. Efrain’s recent achievement of selling his coffee as a specialty crop motivates him to continue improving the quality of his product, allowing him to secure better prices and better support his family.

For Efrain and his family, coffee farming is a combination of tradition, passion, and necessity. They place their hopes in this crop, as it enables them to generate the income needed to support their families. However, they also face challenges—labor shortages, the impacts of climate change, and low coffee prices have all made their work more difficult.

We are excited to release another Paraneima variety following Yensi Sanchez, this one is processed a bit differently with anaerobic fermentation. Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and undergo 60 hours of anaerobic fermentation in sealed bags before being depulped. Then they are fermented dry for an additional 36 hours after depulping and then dry on african beds for 25 to 30 days under direct sunlight with a mesh cover to control the amount of sun.