HN Finca Buenos Aires Certified IWCA

Maricela Aguilar IWCA Certified Coffee

The International Women’s Coffee Alliance was set up to to empower women in the international coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives; and to encourage and recognize the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry. Very active in a number of origins including Honduras.

Finca Buenos Aires was founded in 1998 by Eduardo Aguilar, who began as a vegetable farmer and later diversified into. The farm was originally planted with 4 manzanas (hectares) of coffee and today covers over 21 manzanas. The family farm is located in the mountain village of Buenos Aires, Fraternidad, Ocotepeque. This is in the foothills of Honduras Parque Nacional Guisayote where the mountains create their own unique microclimates. The volcanic soils, rainfall, hours of sunlight and good average temperatures make this area ideal for coffee growing.

 The farm is now run by Maricela Aguilar, Eduardo’s daughter. Maricela studied Business Administration at the Universidad Catolica de Honduras and purchased the farm from her father a few years after graduating. She is a mother to two children; Sofia and Angel David.

 Here’s Maricela talking about her coffee journey:-

“Buenos Aires was one of the most important assets of the family, my father had decided to sell it due to a financial situation in the family, but I was already working in coffee and we had made many changes to the farm together, so I asked him to sell it to me and He told me how was I going to pay for it? I told him that I was going to get a loan at the bank and that's how Buenos Aires continues to be the family's heritage. Currently 15 people live in it and support themselves from the work of the farm throughout the year and my whole family depends on this wonderful place.”

Maricela is involved with Cooperativa Cafetalera La Labor Ocotopeque Limitada (COCAFELOL), one of the most successful and innovative coffee farmer groups in Honduras.