Gerardo is the third of four siblings from the Peñalba family, this represents the 4th and current generation of coffee production from the Peñalba family within the community of Las Flores in Marcala, Honduras. Gerardo can look back to his paternal great great grandfather as the genesis of the Finca Azul Esmeralda, with coffee production beginning in 1896. The farm is situated in the Marcala Municipality, within the La Paz Department of Honduras.

Coffee Processing

Gerardo hand picks his coffee and utilizes an eco milling facility to separate floaters and foreign material from the ripe cherries. As this is a naturally processed lot, the ripe cherries are then laid out on tarpaulin to dry, the cherries are wrapped in the tarpaulin at sun down and unwrapped at sunrise to prevent condensation build up, taking up to 30 days to reach optimal moisture percentage.