Honduras Trip Report 2026
Origin trips are often imagined as coffee adventures, but the reality is usually less glamorous. Days start early, end late, and are filled with long drives on mountain roads between farm visits, cuppings, and mill tours. Not to mention all the conversations that continue over meals long after the workday would normally be over. This trip was no exception.
We packed a tremendous amount into five days in Honduras, moving from the Celaque region to Santa Bárbara and spending time with two of our key partners: Boncafe and San Vicente. The Covoya team on this trip (Joshua Marsceau and Todd Mackey) was joined by a tight crew of longtime customers with long-standing buying relationships in the region.
For us, the value of these trips is not simply seeing where coffee comes from. As Todd puts it, the purpose is more like, "what's the story behind the story?" This trip was an opportunity for all of us to reconnect with partners we have worked alongside for years and to see firsthand how those relationships continue to evolve.
Our trip began in San Pedro Sula with Christian LeSage and the team at Boncafe. After visiting Boncafe's headquarters and dry mill, we spent the next two days in the Celaque region learning more about the producer network behind our staple menu offerings, La Navi and Organic La Avi. These programs are built around consistency, traceability, and regional identity. Incoming deliveries are evaluated and grouped based on quality and profile. Higher cupping lots reaching 86+ can also be separated and offered as microlots showcasing the individual producer.
The producers in Boncafe’s network live on their own farms, own their land, and grow other crops and livestock. We visited the farms of Domingo Benitez-Lopez and Anastacio Benitez, both beautiful, diverse farms where coffee grows alongside fruit trees, livestock, and other crops. Before heading back down the mountain, Anastacio and his family welcomed us into their home for a memorable lunch of chicken and vegetable soup, fresh tortillas, and fresco de jamaica. It was one of many reminders that hospitality remains one of the defining features of origin travel.
We also spent time in Marcala, visiting Boncafe's regional mill and cupping laboratory. Across several cupping tables, we worked through coffees spanning a wide range of qualities and profiles, gaining a clearer understanding of how the organization approaches sourcing and quality management. What stood out during our time with Boncafe was the transparency and commitment to producers that Christian and the team bring to their work. Their relationships felt genuine, collaborative, and focused on strengthening Honduras coffee over the long term.
Midweek we traveled north toward Lake Yojoa and the town of Peña Blanca to connect with the team at San Vicente. After dropping our bags, we headed up to Las Flores, a community on the northeast face of the Santa Barbara Mountain, to visit Finca Don Andres and spend time with Javier, Nahun, and Andres Fernandez. Todd first visited this farm in 2017, and each return trip reveals another chapter in the family's story.
The new cupping lab overlooking Lake Yojoa was impressive, but more powerful is the perspective of seeing their operation evolve and grow. When Todd first visited, the family was doing the painstaking work of bringing electricity service up the mountain and into their community. Less than a decade later, they are roasting and cupping on-site while continuing to expand their experimentation with varieties and processing methods. The lab itself is evidence of progress, but the commitment, persistence, and hard work behind it is the real story.
Back down the mountain, after a night’s rest, the next day began with three very full cupping tables. In contrast to the regional blending model at Boncafe, San Vicente cups and stores individual parchment deliveries separately, allowing coffees to remain distinct until buyers decide how they will ultimately be utilized.
The vibe was similar, however, in that San Vicente’s operation also felt deeply connected to the surrounding community. Throughout the day, producers arrived with samples and deliveries while cupping and roasting activities continued almost nonstop. This was Josh’s first visit, and he was struck by how community-driven everything felt. Farmers, mill staff, and families all seemed connected through the work, creating an atmosphere that was equal parts business, gathering place, and support network.
One of the most rewarding moments of the trip came during our visit to Jeovany Lara's farm, after cupping later that day. Ben Turiano of Joe Bean, who traveled with us, has been buying Jeovany's coffee for nearly a decade but had never been able to join a trip to Honduras. Watching the two finally meet in person after years of working together was a powerful reminder that specialty coffee, at its core, remains a relationship business. We hiked through Jeovany’s farm, arriving at his brother and fellow longtime Covoya partner Rafael’s adjoining farm, and shared coffee and homemade doughnuts with his family catching up in the way people do when a professional relationship eventually becomes a personal one.
Reflecting on our visits to Boncafe and San Vicente, we noted a common characteristic despite their different operating models: collaboration. Across the board, there was a shared sense that success is built collectively. That mindset resonated throughout the trip, giving meaning to the long-term partnerships that make these relationships possible.
Our final evening in Peña Blanca ended with a pickup soccer match that brought together farmers, warehouse staff, lab team members, and friends from across the community. It was a fitting end to a week that reminded us why showing up matters. The challenges facing producers remain real, but so do the relationships, innovation, and resilience we witnessed throughout Honduras. More than anything, this trip was a chance to reconnect with old friends, learn together, and continue participating in a network of dedicated coffee people, working toward a common goal, one harvest at a time.
