San Ramón, Lempira, Honduras
Tracing Roots, Shade, and Truths with Roel
🎙️ A Conversation Beyond the Harvest
This episode of Voices of Origin takes us deep into the highlands of San Ramón, Lempira, where we walked the farm with Roel, a long-time producer and quiet steward of his land. The camera rolled, but nothing was staged. A raw conversation emerged about the everyday challenges and long-term hopes of coffee production.
Roel’s words echo far beyond the rows of trees. They speak to the system, the soil, and the soul of coffee.
🧩 The Layers of the System: Middleman One, Two, Three…
In San Ramón, the road from cherry to cup passes through many hands — often too many. As Roel walked us through his land, the conversation turned to the invisible costs of that structure.
Roel: “At least David, in the San Ramón area, there is middleman one, middleman two, and middleman three.
David: “Yeah, and there’s a lot of coffee in this area.”
Roel: “And middlemen. And this is the reality of coffee in production, and people have a hard time, you know.”
Each step in that chain takes value away from the farm. And yet, producers like Roel continue to adapt, negotiate, and innovate to reclaim agency over their crop.
🌳 Shade as Strategy
From oak trees to guanijiquil, Roel doesn’t just plant shade — he designs it. As he points out trees with different canopy spreads, it becomes clear that shade isn’t just about protection from the sun; it’s about controlling growth, moisture, and ultimately, flavor.
Roel: “This is guanijiquil, I planted these at the same time as these (coffee plants), but look how the shade goes.”
The farm is a living system — and shade is one of its most intelligent tools.
🌱 Purity in the Seed
One of the most revealing parts of the walk was Roel’s reflection on genetics.
A few seasons back, he discovered that a nursery lot he bought — believed to be Parainema — came mixed with Catimor. That mistake could have gone unnoticed, but Roel knew better.
Instead of abandoning the lot, he’s working to restore the genetic purity — tree by tree. For him, consistency of cup profile and long-term quality are non-negotiable.
🎬 Watch the Episode
Unscripted. Unfiltered. Just two farmers walking the land — and letting the truth rise from the roots.
💬 Why It Matters
At Mythoz, we believe that traceability isn’t just about scanning codes or tracking logistics. It’s about conversations like this, decisions like these, and people like Roel.
“Voices of Origin” is our attempt to step back — and let the producers speak.
Because behind every bag of coffee is a life’s work.
📌 Field Notes
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Producer: Roel
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Region: San Ramón, Lempira, Honduras
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Themes: Middlemen structure, shade intelligence, genetic restoration
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Varietals: Parainema, Catimor, Lempira
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Shade Trees: Oak, Guanijiquil
Filmed: July 2025
Written by the Mythoz team
