FUGLEN COFFEE LAS MORAS / HONDURAS

Antonio Dominguez grew up as a second-generation coffee farmer. From an early age, I became familiar with coffee production by helping in the coffee fields on my father’s farm. In 2006, he used the money he saved from working in the United States to buy his own land and start producing coffee.

Mr. Dominguez's farm, Rancho Las Moras, is located in the Pozzo Negro district, in the heart of the Massaguana region. The farm is surrounded by mountains and has beautiful scenery, giving it the beauty of a tourist destination coexisting with wildlife. In addition to coffee, Moras Farm also grows vegetables, giving the impression of a home garden and is a typical micro-farm small-scale operation. During harvest season, the farm employs only about five pickers and is run in a family-centered manner without relying on outsiders.

Initially they produced commercial coffee, but in 2010 they switched to growing specialty coffee. However, the selling price is not much different from the previous price. Around 2014, Dominguez realized the true potential of his coffee through an encounter with Ronnie Gamez, a former IHCAFE laboratory director who now runs an export business, and decided to participate in the Cup of Excellence (COE).

I got fourth place in the first year I participated. This experience inspired me to continue participating in COE. For Dominguez, the COE is a proud opportunity to see his hard work on coffee pay off. He believes the opportunities COE offers farmers will bring stability to his farm and the coffee it produces.
Dominquez hopes that through this success, he will be able to improve every aspect of his farm, including improved tools and equipment, and a better living environment for himself and his family. His story is a classic example of hard work and persistence paying off, and demonstrates the potential of small producers in the coffee industry