In the hills of Las Flores, Santa Barbra, Honduras, 46 year old producer Isaias Fernandez tends to his 10 hectare farm, Finca el Ocotillo. You can find his farm at an astounding 1,720 masl. Here, the ideal growing conditions and generations of experience come together to produce exceptional specialty coffee that we have been sourcing consistently since 2015!

Isaias cultivates a thoughtful mix of varieties: Caturra (35%), Geisha (25%), Parainema (15%), and Pacas (25%). During harvest, cherries are depulped daily and the parchment is dry-fermented for 18 hours. After this step, the coffee is washed four times before being dried for 14-17 days in a parabolic solar dryer. Throughout drying, Isaias and his team hand-sort the parchment to ensure consistency and even moisture levels.

Coffee runs deep in Isaias’s roots. Raised alongside his grandfather and father – who were among the first to produce coffee in this region – he and his brothers played a key role in building the family business.

At the age of 20 he stepped away from the family farm and went to work in the city to support his family. While working in the city his brothers had already entered the specialty coffee market with support from Beneficio San Vicente, gaining recognition through the Cup of Excellence. Inspired by his brothers, Isaias returned to producing specialty coffee in 2014. 

Since then, Isaias has been fully committed to producing specialty coffee, bringing dedication, heritage, and precision together at his respectable farm. We are pleased to bring a Washed Parainema variety to our menu this year via our importer Coffee Quest.