Welcome to Honduras | OBIIS

Coffee grows in more than 70 countries in the world. And although Honduras is one of those countries, and it has been growing coffee since the early 1800s, it’s only been in the last couple of decades that its reputation for quality has gone global.

There are a lot of reasons why. Its coffee is grown in some of the most remote regions, far from the infrastructure of export like dry mills, ports, and even good roads. It’s a poor country. Depending on which list you read, Honduras ranks anywhere from second to fourth lowest in the western hemisphere for GDP.

Regardless, though, of its regional ranking, the poverty here is palpable. It is estimated that more than 60% of Hondurans live below the poverty line. Having now travelled in some of those remote coffee growing areas, I can attest to it. Living conditions are harsh, and work is hard to come by.

Last September, Bob and I were the guests of Kathya Irias and Paul Gromek of Spirit Animal Coffee in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. They took us to visit two producers, one in the region of Copan, and one in Yoro. And Bob was here earlier this year to visit a young Co-Op in the making in the Olancho region. Before I tell you about those Growers and their farms, I want to share a few observations we’ve had about the industry in Honduras, and the people who grow the coffee.