Honduras - Donaldo Fiallos
Donaldo Fiallos’ coffee is one of the Aruco Co-op's micro-lot selections.
A pioneer of the Honduran speciality coffee scene, Donaldo farms just a few miles outside of Corquin in Western Honduras.
Donaldo plays an important role in developing quality and innovation at Aruco and his dedication shines through in this coffee.
Region - Las Pacayas, Corquin, Coban
Process - Natural; 90 hr maceration, sun dried for 30 days. Organic
Varietal - Bourbon and Lempira
This coffee was chosen from Aruco's micro-lot selections and was macerated for 90 hours before drying on raised beds for around 30 days. During the drying stage the coffee is turned hourly.
A pioneer of the Honduran speciality coffee scene, Donaldo Fiallos farms just a few miles outside of Corquin in Western Honduras. In 2022 we were lucky enough to visit Donaldo and meet him and the rest of the Aruco co-operative to learn more about their work.
Prepared as part of the Aruco Co-operative Micro-lot programme.
Over the past few years we’ve been in contact with a group of growers in Copan, western Honduras; these producers are part of the Aruco co-operative, based in Corquin.
Having tasted samples from Aruco for a few seasons we knew they had a quality focus, with a particular emphasis on micro-lot production. The coffees were very good and improving every year so in March 2022 we were lucky enough to have a chance to visit Honduras and find out more about this relative newcomer to the speciality coffee scene for ourselves.
The micro lot program at Aruco showcases the very best Honduran coffees and uses a model that rewards farmers’ efforts in a fair and timely fashion. The producers will receive 70% of the FOB (Free on Board) price for their coffees.
All the processing for these lots takes place at the Aruco mill to centralise and have greater control over the process; helping to create consistent procedures but also reducing the risk for the producer. The mill is at 800 MASL, which gives a more stable climate to dry the coffee compared to conditions up at the farms, where the weather can be much less predictable.
The coffee will be delivered to the mill where Aruco assess the cherry (taking Brix readings) and then decide on the process for the coffees depending on space and what the producer has done already. The cherry is cleaned, washed and then floated to remove any immatures. The coffee is then taken to the raised beds and dried for between 20 and 30 days, weather depending, during this time the coffee will be turned hourly.