IWCA Honduras Chapter Members Place In 2021 Cup Of Excellence Competition
In June of 2021, after recognizing a mutual interest in developing programs that benefit women in all sectors of the coffee industry, IWCA signed a memorandum of understanding with Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Cup of Excellence (CoE). The first action in the partnership was to identify Cup of Excellence winners that are members of the country IWCA chapter to leverage both organizations in promoting quality producers to increase their auction premiums.
The 2021 Honduras Cup of Excellence included seven women winners, of which four are IWCA chapter members. Learn more about them and their background in coffee below.
I have been full time in the family’s coffee business for 15 years. Although I spent my early childhood in Nicaragua, we moved to the states when I was young. I grew up in Texas and studied nursing there. I followed in my father’s footsteps and became a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner in OB/GYN.
My family returned to Nicaragua before I did. I had been living and practicing in Austin, but returned home to Nicaragua to be with my mother during her last years. After some time, and after my mother’s passing, my brother inspired me to join the family venture of farming. I left medicine and dove deep into the family coffee business.
I spent time learning the supply chain, from cultivation, harvest, processing, and preparation and cupping. Most of my focus remains now on quality control, preparation, and client relations. As a woman working in coffee that is often thought of as male-dominated, I found that clearly there are extra obstacles women face. Yet I feel that when I challenge the things that present me with opposition, I am not only doing so for myself, but for all of those who face similar obstacles. Doing so with excellence adds another layer of satisfaction, and hopefully sends a message to everyone that if I can do this, so can you. Being a member of the IWCA is important because our voices and thoughts come together and we can be agents of change in our community.
I started in the coffee world, as an initiative of my husband, for whom, every project he's started, I have been at his side, giving him support. And while watching, how my husband enjoyed feeling free and relaxed in the coffee fields, planting and learning, along side of our kids. We began traveling to the farms, we all liked the adventures in the coffee lands, observing and enjoying the good climate in the farm, the view of the Lake Yojoa, how the clouds wrapped the mountains in the afternoons. We enjoyed tasting the wild fruits of different varieties and drink a good cup of coffee.
I enjoyed all this so much, that I dedicated with passion to the correct drying of our coffee, always praying to God to allow our coffee to be enjoyed by other people, and that God gives our coffee this special touch so that my work was not done in vain. For the Glory and Honour of God, our coffee of Farm Las Huerta 2 is very delicious.
Iris Dariela Carbajal became very involved in the coffee process in hopes of becoming a skilled cupper, as well as a barista. Her goals are to offer a better quality of coffee to her buyers and be able to negotiate a better price for her coffee to help her afford to finish her dentistry studies. She is also learning English to communicate better with her market.
Last year, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent an operation in San Salvador. While in the hospital she was infected with COVID-19 and the IWCA Honduras Chapter has established a fundraiser to help cover her medical expenses, around $50,000 USD. Any amount of support is greatly appreciated CLICK HERE to donate.
I am a second-generation coffee grower. When I heard our clients talk about cupping, we were not clear on how they chose the coffees. We thought that just by having good coffees, they would be chosen. But we soon learned about coffee profiles, and as a way of helping my parents, I tried to learn about cupping in the courses organized by the Ihcafe. Afterward, we started selling roasted coffee, then we learned about being Barista and then roasting of coffee. As with everything in coffee, we learned from our equals, our clients, and in courses. In the blink of an eye, I fell in love with the Coffee industry. I am a financial specialist, with a coffee passion, which I share with my husband and daughter.
The connection between coffee and women is impressive, growers, barista, roasters, R&D, women I admire and have come to know thanks to Coffee. My farm is La Huerta 2, beside my parents.