El Pino Farm, Honduras

El Pino is a farm located in Pozo Negro, Masaguara Municipality, Intibuca Department, Honduras. The farm owner is Hernán Gómez Reyes. Hernán has been involved in coffee farming alongside his father since childhood and established his own farm in 2000 on land he inherited. For many years, producers in this region sold their harvested coffee to local brokers. However, Hernan recognized the potential for quality improvement and began venturing into the specialty coffee market by working to refine the processing and drying methods. His efforts paid off, and the quality of his coffee began to be highly regarded; in the 2015 Honduras Cup of Excellence (CoE), he achieved second place with a score of 90.81 points. The farm also places a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship. Elnan cultivates its crops while minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers as much as possible, and is also working to produce compost using the pulp from coffee cherries. In addition, the farm is focusing its efforts on combating coffee rust—a disease that has caused severe damage in Honduras—and maintains a healthy growing environment through proper fertilization and tree management.