Fatima Mercedes Maradiaga | Micro-lot

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Fatima Mercedes Maradiaga

Ever since she was little, Fatima Mercedes Maradiaga had dreamed of owning her own farm, coming from a family of coffee producers: “My greatest source of inspiration was my mother, who brought a lot of pleasure to the work carried out on the farm, from planting to harvesting and processing”, confides the professional teacher.

In 2007 she acquired a small plot of land of 2 hectares of organic production in the region of Las Flores where she lives, and thanks to the technical training communicated by the cooperative of producers COMSA (Café organico Marsala) she now produces small batches of Catuai variety coffee which she dries using the honey method.

The process begins with the selective harvesting of the cherries at their point of optimum ripeness. The coffee is then depulped and left in a fermentation tank for several hours until the necessary fermentation is achieved. Later, it is transferred to a solar dryer where it is dried until it reaches 12% humidity. Honey coffee requires drying temperatures to be constantly monitored. The coffee is turned every 15 minutes for the first three days of drying. Then it is rotated every half hour. The total drying time is 15 to 21 days, depending on the weather.

“The lesson I’ve learned is that in order to obtain quality, we must fill ourselves with patience, and above all, enjoy all the activities involved, all the while maintaining a visionthat the farm is the family’s patrimony, and we must care for it and its product, for the good of our children and grandchildren.”