Nicolas Fernandez’s farm, La Maravilla, is a true testament to dedication and resilience. Located in the Las Flores region of Santa Barbara, an area quickly gaining a reputation for high-quality coffee and Cup of Excellence winners, Nicolas’s small farm produces coffee that stands out. But success in this region hasn’t come easy. Just a decade ago, a catastrophic leaf rust epidemic swept thraough Honduras, devastating crops and forcing farmers to adapt. Traditional coffee varieties like Bourbon, Caturra, and Typica struggled to survive, leading many—including Nicolas—to turn to more resilient hybrids like Catuai and Parainema. These varieties help safeguard against disease, but they come with a challenge: some seasons, they don’t produce fruit at all. For the 120,000 families in Honduras who rely on coffee farming, every harvest is an exercise in perseverance.
For Nicolas, coffee is in his blood. His father was one of the first to cultivate coffee in the area, and as is customary, a portion of the land was passed down to Nicolas when he turned 18. He started small, producing cherries from just one hectare while using his father’s mill and drying beds. When ST ALi’s green buyer, Lucy, first visited La Maravilla in 2018, she was struck by Nicolas’s passion and the quality of his coffee. (We like to imagine she had no choice but to empty her pockets and take home every bean she could.)
Since then, Nicolas and his brothers have expanded their operation, building their own mill and investing in additional land and infrastructure. And this year marks a major milestone: Nicolas’s biggest harvest yet. For the first time, ST ALi couldn’t buy his entire crop—which means his exceptional coffee is now reaching more roasters and cafes around the world. We’ve been lucky to work with Nicolas for years, and we couldn’t be prouder to see his hard work gaining the recognition it deserves.
