Honduras Finca Mi Refugio

About This Partnership

In March 2023, Siri Simran — founder and roaster of Color Magic — traveled to Honduras to source coffees and forge new relationships. During that journey, she spent a day with Jorge Misael Ochoa, a dedicated producer whose farm in the Santa Barbara Mountains is nothing short of breathtaking.

When asked what he’d like people to know about his work, Misael shared that he approaches every step of the process with deep care and pride. He is constantly refining his craft, always striving to do his best — even when neighbors question his attention to detail. His unwavering commitment to quality is evident in every sip of his coffee.

Since that visit, Siri has continued to buy coffee from Misael each year and is proud to call him a partner. His dedication to sustainable farming shows up in the thoughtful choices he makes on his farm:

• Working to implement composting practices, despite being a relatively new farm.

• Using organic fungicides, even without official organic certification.

• Crafting his own fertilizers tailored to his land and amending the soil with natural lime rock native to the region.

• Protecting a large portion of his land by designating it as conservation space — preserving native ecosystems and deterring deforestation and poaching.

• Preserving native shade trees that serve as vital habitat for local birds.

About the Anaerobic Honey Process

After harvest, ripe coffee cherries are sealed in plastic bags for 90–120 hours to begin fermentation. The skin is then removed, and the sticky seeds (still covered in mucilage) are placed back into sealed bags to continue fermenting in an oxygen-free environment for another 48 hours.

Following fermentation, the seeds are dried on raised beds in solar dryers for 12–15 days, depending on the weather. Misael’s youngest son, Ángel, plays an important role in the process — raking the coffee every 30 minutes to ensure even drying and meticulously removing any defective beans by hand.