Finca La Esmeralda

Lili Peñalva - Farmer

Lili's love for coffee and the environment dates back to her childhood, a love that Lili wants to pass on to her next generation.

In 1908, her grandfather, Vilgilio Peñalva Guevera, started his coffee production and approximately 40 years later, he passed on to the next generation with her father, Virgilio Peñalva Sauzo, who began farming small coffee plantations in Honduras.

Over time, her father managed to grow the farm, including larger amounts of coffee. In 1997, the coffee production passed down to Lili and she began working on her own production system at Finca La Esmeralda. She led it with passion and success and over the years has perfected the process to create exemplary profiles for her coffee.

Now, Lili is married with two children and alternates household activities, a paid job and running her own coffee farm. She also manages and executes social impact projects. Seeking, through her actions, to create a positive impact on her community and environment.

Located at a height of 1550 meters above sea level, on a mountain near the centre of Marcala. Lili has an eight-block farm, which is surrounded by a large area of ​​forest, that allows her to observe and protect various local animals. “We always work to take care of the environment. I love protecting the nests of the birds that are in the trees, from the farm it is wonderful to see them”, Lili highlights about nature on her farm.

Lili has crops of fruit plants that allow a fermentation process to be generated with different aromas in the coffee produced. In addition, one part of the farm is planted with yellow catuai, another with red catuai and other with pacamara. Being a very favorable environment, which allows to produce a variety of flavors and to be able to offer the best possible cup of coffee.

Finca La Esmeralda stands out for making coffee through special processes and, at the same time, friendly to the environment. Highlighting the honey and natural processes, where the cherries are placed in a patio for processing and drying is slower. Being a more detailed process that requires more time and dedication for its correct production.

Thanks to the effort, commitment and work that Lili has put into her farm, she has managed to obtain recognition in her area. In 2019, she made the decision to join a competition among 300 producers, where the best coffee from the participating farms was decided through tastings. Between the process, Lili's coffee samples were rising positions, managing to be among the top 10 coffee samples. With great emotion and enthusiasm, the coffee from her farm obtained a cup rating of 91.95 points, obtaining first place in the cup of the year.

Then, in the following year, Lili continues to join more cuppings to promote the coffee that she has created on her farm. With great pride, in 2020 she once again has a very high rating of 90.93 points. Achieving second place in the cupping and achieving national and international recognition.

The process to produce specialty and high-quality coffee has not been easy. Lili points out that a lot of time and effort is required in the harvest, selection, drying and roasting of coffee beans, especially since they work with unique processes for their elaboration.

Today, Lili shows leadership by being part of the Alianza de Mujeres de Café (AMUCAFE) in Honduras, where producers can obtain support through forums, training and workshops. "I feel in community and I am with women who communicate how they are in the industry, I feel identified and strengthened by hearing that I am not alone," Lili highlights in her participation with the alliance.

With great enthusiasm and pride, Lili seeks to pass on her experience of the world of coffee to her children. Like her ancestors, she pursues that her children can learn all the work that is required for coffee producers. Honouring her family tradition and promoting it from generation to generation.

Single Origin, Single Estate,  SHG