Norman Ramón Paguaga

It is 4:45 am and this small producer is getting ready to head to his farm which is located 14 kilometers (8.75 miles) near the Panamerican road. When the down warms the coffee plantation, Don Moncho arrives at Casas Viejas. In the farm, the Mandador (the person responsible to manage the farm) has already all the workers doing their job in the furrows.

Don Moncho when talking about his Mandador, says …. “this bearded man is my right hand, his name is Lanzas and he has been working for me for many years now…that is why I gave him a manazana (1.73 acres) of land so he could build up his little house” he continues saying…. “Here you find permanent workers and coffee pickers that arrive during the coffee picking; almost all of them come with their families… I pay well” he underlines.

We find a lot of honesty in his words. In the meantime he walks us to the new construction of a coffee mill, which has a better drainage for the “sweet” waters, the term used for the wet wastes after the wash method and the removing of pulp.

“You will see how all this is going to grow “showing us with pride the areas that are assigned to measure the coffee and the dining area for the workers. This farm is next to Honduran mountains (which are 400 mts. close) and also has as its neighbor its sister farm Doña María Nieves, both farms have been winners of the “cup of excellence”.