In Honduran communities at high risk of disasters, a Red Cross project helps families strengthen resilience and increase income through enterprises such as coffee production.
The story of Moreno’s café begins in the heart of a coffee-growing family. Lourdes Amparo Paz and her family have always been dedicated to this business. In the early days, Lourdes sold her product at her son’s workplaces, where they had a small but loyal clientele. However, it was with the arrival of a Honduran Red Cross initiative to reduce the risks of climate change that the path of her business took a significant turn.
“They saw me constantly processing coffee and they liked how I had my business,” says Lourdes. “Then they told me that they were going to give me added value”.
With additional support of the Italian Red Cross, this project has already had a positive impact on communities in the department of Santa Barbara, a region in Honduras well known for its coffee production. Many families living in areas where disaster risks are constant have received support to diversify their livelihoods and increase their resilience in the face of such crises.
To help Lourdes step up her production and grow her business, the Red Cross provided her with some simple, but necessary equipment, such as a coffee roaster, a coffee grinder, a shelf for better storage and some trays.
Through collaboration with specialised engineers from the Honduran Coffee Institute, Lourdes and her family have acquired valuable knowledge to improve the quality of their coffee and to perfect their production.
In addition, Lourdes and her family have learned new ways to promote and sell their product. They now have a special package to make the brand they use, Moreno’s Coffee, more recognizable.
A big part of the success of Moreno’s Coffee is the service and attention to the diverse tastes of Lourdes’ customers. For example, she has diversified their offerings, incorporating special flavours such as pepper or cinnamon flavour.
“When a customer asks me, I serve them pepper or cinnamon flavoured coffee,” says Lourdes. “People like the coffee we produce because apart from having passion, we have love for what we do. And I think that’s very important.”
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This story was produced by Cristhel Madrid,
a talented storyteller from Honduran Red Cross.
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Red Cross Red Crescent magazine 
