A wonderfully sweet and nuanced medium roast with notes of hazelnut, black cherry, and chocolate. Excellent in French Press and filter brews alike. No sugar required.
Get excited, we’re releasing a new coffee.
When Charlie Heins, President of Aldea Development, was walking through our warehouse over the summer, he saw a sack of Walberto’s coffee in the production area. “[Walberto’s coffee] is one of my favorites,” he said.
“I was really impressed with this coffee at first sampling,” says Scott, Head Roaster at Aldea. “Might be one of the sweetest coffees I’ve tried from Honduras.”
Scott sought to create a profile that would highlight the honey-like sweetness of Walberto’s coffee and yet strike a balance with its relatively high but lovely, citric acidity. The result is a nutty, and yes, sweet medium roast with notes of chocolate and black cherry.
Walberto’s coffee is small batch imported from our nonprofit, Aldea Development. In fact, did you know that all of our Honduran coffees are from Aldea Development?
Walberto started selling to Aldea Development in 2022 when he was participating in Aldea’s specialty coffee training program, led by another producer you may be familiar with, Gilberto Barrientos. The origin cupping notes from Honduras were “dark chocolate and orange citrus, with a smooth body.” The cupping score came in at 85, a great cupping score based on SCA standards.
Walberto has been dedicated to growing coffee since he was very young. His passion grew from working in the coffee fields with his father, who was also a coffee producer. Walberto started his own coffee farm, Finca la Bendicion (translates to “the blessing”), four years ago. It is approximately 1450 meters above sea level in a place called Joconal, the upper part of a village called Chimisal.
“I think [working with Aldea Development] is a good experience because we can now produce better quality coffee beans and with a better process than what is normally done here in our country,” says Walberto Castellanos when asked about the benefits of working with Aldea Coffee.
Over the last few months we have been deep in the process of recertifying as a B Corp. One of the main aspects is sustainability and combating climate change in Michigan as well as in Honduras. When B Corp asked us how our producers are becoming more resilient, we went to the Aldea Development staff to find out.
One of the main ways that farmers have been adapting to the shifting climate is by planting more trees to shade their coffee plants, reducing the amount of direct sunlight, heat, and wind on the farm. This directly benefits the health of the soil and its ability to retain moisture, nutrients, structure, and hardiness in the face of excess rainfall, drought, and other forms of extreme weather.
“Not all of my farm has shade since I have a small coffee farm and it needs more sunlight, but I have already planted shade trees that grow along with the coffee,” says Walberto.
You can find Walberto’s exceptional coffee at either of our cafe locations or order online for a holiday treat for yourself or a loved one.
