Where was this coffee grown, and what is ASOPROSAN?

Honduras is the 5^th largest coffee producer globally, and it has over 120,000 farming communities working in the industry. However, in the last 15 years, they have shifted their efforts from quality over quantity, with a notable amount of speciality coffees starting to emerge.

In San Andrés, located northwest of Honduras in the Lempira region, you will find a group of smallholder farmers who, in 2017, united together to form ASOPROSAN (La Asociación de Productores de Café San Andrés). This was based on improving community support across the various farms, offering financial, technical and agricultural assistance where needed.

Generations of knowledge have led to the development of a set of uniform farming techniques that significantly enhance the quality of coffee due to ASOPROSAN. For instance, all 135 farmers involved with the cooperative use sustainable farming practices, avoiding strip picking and the use of pesticides. Instead, they hand-pick all their cherries and use organic fertilisers made from coffee pulp and chicken manure, spread across the land three times a year to regenerate the soil.

What are the growing conditions like in Honduras?

The physical characteristics of the San Andrés region enhance the quality of its coffee. The area features mountainous terrain with altitudes ranging from 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level. Additionally, a diverse range of canopy trees provides shade that protects the coffee plants from excessive sunlight.

The combination of high altitude and shade slows the growth of coffee cherries, which contributes to their unique flavour. This is because the coffee beans have a prolonged period inside the cherry, which gives them more time to absorb the fruity flavours from the cherry’s flesh.

How were these beans harvested?

The process begins with hand-picking the perfectly ripe cherries, which are then returned to the central farming hub for processing. Unlike most coffee farms, they process their beans themselves rather than selling the harvest to an external wet mill.

After resting for 24 hours, the fruit is pulped and fermented for 18 hours. It is then washed to remove any remaining mucilage and sun-dried on raised beds for approximately 12 to 14 hours. Once dried, the beans are bagged and shipped to us at Two Chimps HQ, where our artisan roaster works magic to prepare this fantastic brew for your cup!