Emelina Amaya, farm El Aguacate

Emelina is shy, to put it mildly. Or maybe humble is the apter word.

She didn’t dare to be interviewed for this background story and locked herself into her bedroom when we came to visit. Not for lack of a history, but probably (we couldn’t ask…) because she thinks she isn’t worth it.

That, of course, is absolutely untrue. Anyone who has tried her coffee will agree. And even if her coffee weren’t good, Emelina herself would always be worth the story of her own life! Thankfully, her right hand, Leyton, was happy to share bits and pieces of her story with us.

Leyton is 30 years old (in 2024) and has worked with Emelina since the very beginning, when she started to grow coffee, back in 2015. As a child, Leyton had worked with his father on his family’s coffee parcel and by the time he was 22 he had more than a decade experience in the field. Emelina hired him because tending to 3,5 hectares was too much for her on her own, and her three children were too small to help.

Also, she didn’t want her children to miss out on school because that’s what had happened to her when she was a child herself, and to so many others around her. Now, nine years later, her two daughters attend university and that is in no small part thanks to Emelina’s perseverance, her strength, and her hard work. Her son, who is much too young to attend university, looks happy as well.

Leyton has stood with Emelina during all those years. Together, they have overcome numerous obstacles. Leaf rust, two hurricanes, mudslides, inundations, prices that were lower than the cost of production; it most certainly has never been easy, and it probably never will be.

But, and this is a great but: this year, Sarah Berge, who co-owns Ray&Jules roastery in faraway Belgium, came to visit us at Cafesmo and she was immediately awed with Emelina’s coffee when she tried it – blindly – on our cupping table, where Emelina’s coffee stood out among a dozen comparable lots. It was a hit, and the fact that Emelina is a woman, was even better for Sarah, who always tries to look for connections with women producers!

When we told Leyton that their coffee – because honestly, Leyton too deserves part of the honor – had become a hit in Belgium, we could see his eyes twinkle. And then we asked, a bit too loud, if they are able to prepare the same coffee for Ray&Jules next year. Hopefully Emelina overheard us, but we’ll have to wait a year to find out if she indeed did! 

Farm facts

Emelina has five small plots, all located between 1,250 and 1,450 meters. The names of the various plots are El Aguacate, El Arenalito, La Zeta 1, La Zeta 2.

The varietals are IH-Café90, Lempira, Parainema.

Lots of shadow on the plots is provided by local trees as well as avocado trees and lime.

The plots are certified organic and fair trade and RFA and Bird Friendly.