The Cooperativa Cafetalera Sanmarqueña (COCASAM) is located in the town of San Marcos de Colón in southern Honduras. COCASAM was established in 1998 by sixteen founding members and today includes over 100 farmers managed by a local math teacher and coffee grower, Geovanny Lopez.

Their main focus is on growing the Bourbon, Catuai, and Cattura coffee varietals underneath a canopy of Guabas and Carbon shade trees to protect the coffee bushes from the stress of the sun. The co-op’s growers use a mixture of cultural techniques in regards to organic inputs including the use of bocashi fertilizer, green manures, organic fungicides and natural insect repellents. Unlike many parts of Honduras, the dry, sunny days on the Cordillerra Pito where the farms are nestled are ideal for the patio-drying of coffee parchment. COCASAM operates its own cupping lab, which gives the farmers an advantage in Honduras of maintaining consistently delicious lots that are sweet and balanced with a long-lasting toffee finish.

While we have several appealing ideas we’re considering, we’ve yet to determine the project in the San Marcos community that will receive our financial donation. We’ll keep you posted