HONDURAS CATRACHA, ANSELMO LAZO

Single Origin

ROAST  |  Light Roast

PROFILE  | Pear, Honey, and Blackberry

ORIGIN  |  Honduras, Santa Elena Catracha

PROCESS  |  Washed and dried in the sun

GROWER  |  Anselmo Lazo, Las Tijeras Farm

Anselmo Lazo is the grower of this micro-lot on his 2-acre farm called Las Tijeras in the municipality of Santa Elena within the department of La Paz, Honduras.  Anselmo is part of a select group of producers who work with Catracha Coffee Company.  Because of the work Catracha Coffee Company does, including improved prices for the farmers, Anselmo has been able to improve his farm management practices using lime to control the pH of the soil, fertilizing with organic compost, and spraying organic fungicides to control levels of leaf rust.  These actions have improved the health of his farm and the quality of his coffee production.

Anselmo processes his coffee using his own micro-mill to depulp, ferment, wash and dry his coffee before delivering it to Catracha Coffee.  With profits from the sale of his own micro-lot, Anselmo built additional raised beds for drying coffee and made renovations to his wet-mill.  

What is Catracha Coffee Company? Mayra Orellana-Powell founded Catracha Coffee Company to connect her coffee growing community with roasters. Ten years later, Catracha Coffee has gained momentum with more than 80 producers and 20 roasters working together on lasting relationships and a profit sharing model, which has consistently paid at least $2 per pound directly to producers. This extra income helps increase each producer’s capacity to reinvest in their farm, and overtime, increase their standard of living.  

The sale of Catracha Coffee also creates income for a non-profit called Catracha Community (a 501(1)(c)(3) nonprofit), which invests in income diversification opportunities without taking resources from a farmer’s bottomline. 

Catracha Community hosts weekly workshops for women and youth to learn craft making skills.  Like the coffee, the focus is on quality.  With the help of talented volunteers, the group has been able to make many beautiful things and sell them through the Catracha network of coffee friends. They even have a name for the group, Catracha Colectivo.  

Catracha Community has also established an art residence and studio in Santa Elena to host artists from Honduras and around the world.   These artists have been running art classes two days a week for over a year.  Every week more than 30 children come and learn art.  Art is starting to pop up everywhere around Santa Elena.  There are more than 30 murals along the streets of Santa Elena, in people's homes, and at many schools.

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