Behind the Coffee: A Talk and Tasting Experience with Hidardo Hernández and Carlos Guerra
We recently hosted an event featuring Moises Hidardo Hernández, the producer of Cascaritas coffees and founder of the CAFESMO cooperative, alongside Carlos Rene Guerra, a two-time national barista champion from Honduras. They discussed the challenges of coffee cultivation in Honduras, including climate change and youth migration, and shared how CAFESMO supports sustainable coffee farming and community involvement.
This past Wednesday was a truly special day for us at Warawul. As a new and small coffee startup, having started roasting just four months ago and opening our little coffee bar two months later, we felt incredibly honored by the visit we received.
We were delighted to welcome Moises Hidardo Hernández, the producer of Cascaritas coffees and the founder of the CAFESMO cooperative, to our café in Berlin. He shared insights about the cooperative, the intricacies of coffee cultivation, and the challenges faced by coffee producers in Honduras.
We also had the pleasure of hosting Carlos Rene Guerra, a two-time national barista champion and World Barista Championships competitor.
Founding CAFESMO and the impact of direct trade
Together, Hidardo and Carlos discussed the complexities of growing coffee in Honduras. Hidardo founded CAFESMO eight years ago to give identity and traceability to the coffee grown by local farmers. By building direct, long-term relationships within the coffee industry, CAFESMO has grown to include over 280 coffee farmers who sustainably produce high-quality coffee on small farms.
CAFESMO’s direct trade and access to specialty coffee markets have significantly strengthened the livelihoods of the families within this community of farmers. While each farmer grows coffee individually, the cooperative shares crucial processing infrastructure and conducts extensive quality control to ensure their coffees meet the demands of roasting partners both locally and globally.
Photo by CAFESMO
Major challenges ahead for coffee farming
Despite the positive outlook for CAFESMO, Hidardo and Carlos highlighted the significant challenge posed by climate change. They described how unpredictable growing seasons, extended dry periods, and intensified rainy seasons are adversely affecting Arabica cultivars, which require timely rainfall to flower and produce fruit. The past harvest in Honduras was the worst in years due to extreme heat and dryness stressing the plants, followed by torrential rains that made harvesting difficult in the mountainous terrain.
To address these challenges, CAFESMO is experimenting with more drought-tolerant coffee varieties. Another issue facing the coffee industry in Central America is the migration of young people from the countryside to cities or abroad, driven by the volatility of the global coffee market. Hidardo emphasized that CAFESMO involves the entire community, not just coffee growers. Young IT developers from the community have created software to manage processing at CAFESMO’s wet mill, and the cooperative supports young coffee farmers by providing market access.
Connecting coffee drinkers and producers
We are extremely grateful to Hidardo and Carlos for taking the time to share their experiences and expertise with us. For us, their visit incorporated the spirit of Warawul. We want to connect coffee drinkers with the producers of the drink we all love.
If you missed the event, we will be uploading a recording to our social media in the coming days. You can also order Hidardo’s coffees online or try them in our store.