Coffee Farms

The Magic of Honduras – A Story of Flavor,  People, and Place 

Discovering Santa Bárbara with 88 Graines 

The first time we tasted a coffee from Santa Bárbara,  Honduras — it stopped us in our tracks. A washed Pacas, full  of wild berries, ripe citrus, florals, tropical fruit, and dark  chocolate. It had everything. And it shattered the coffee  categories we once believed: Africans were fruity, Central  Americans were nutty and safe. But this cup? It rewrote the  rules.

Since then, Honduras has become one of our most cherished  origins. We’ve spent years traveling to origin, learning directly  from producers and landscapes that defy expectations.

What makes Santa Bárbara so special?

It’s all in the microclimate — cool breezes from nearby Lake Yojoa, high-altitude terrain,  and rich, volcanic soil. The slower cherry maturation means  more sweetness, more complexity, and more time for nature  to work its quiet magic.

Unlike many other origins where harvest peaks early, here the  cherries cling to the branches long after containers of coffee  have already shipped from neighboring countries. This natural  patience — along with multiple pickings and deep  agricultural knowledge — yields cups that are rich, vivid,  and undeniably alive.

At the heart of this region is Beneficio San Vicente, a family run operation that’s become an anchor in the global specialty  scene. Built from scratch in the 1980s by Fidel Paz, and  grown into a powerhouse by his nephew Arturo and son  Benjamin, San Vicente connects hundreds of small-scale  producers to roasters around the world — including us at 88  Graines.

Together, we work year after year, not just to trade coffee, but  to build something better:

– We offer real-time feedback to producers, so each harvest  becomes stronger than the last.

– We support fair pricing and transparency, even as labor  shortages and fertilizer costs rise.

– We celebrate varietal diversity, from classic Bourbons and  Pacas to hybrids like Parainema and IH90.

– And we love that producers are experimenting more each  season — washed lots perfected, naturals refined,  anaerobics pushed into new territory.

The relationship we have with San Vicente and the producers  they represent is a model of what coffee sourcing should be:  ethical, dynamic, human, and focused on elevating  potential. It’s why we return to Honduras every year — to  walk the farms, cup fresh harvests, share ideas, and bring a  new wave of incredible coffees back to Europe.

This is what 88 Graines is all about.

– We live and breathe origin. 

– We connect people through coffee. ‘

– We believe that exceptional quality starts with deep  respect for the people and the land. 

Explore our new arrivals from Santa Bárbara — and taste the  story for yourself.