MEET PANCHITO
A RESILIENT COFFEE FARMER
Since he began farming, José Francisco Villada, better known as Panchito, has been committed to improving the quality of his coffee. Whether through his cooperative, learning with trainers or using digital tools, he works hard to learn, grow and share his knowledge with others.
Panchito is a founding member of the Capucas Coffee Cooperative in Honduras, which has been in operation for 22 years. According to Omar Rodriguez, Capucas’ General Manager, the co-op and its members produce specialty coffee and work hard to nurture a unique identity that distinguishes their coffee for its quality.
Improving quality has been Panchito’s passion from the start.
“I remember that when I built my first drying rack, I made it with wood from apple trees. My grandfather told me that this wood was very flexible, which is why I used it as an arch structure. I was one of the first smallholders in my community to have one.”
“When I began working to improve my quality, they called me crazy. But I always wanted to learn more."
EQUAL CONTRIBUTIONS,
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
This story isn’t just about Panchito. The Villada household includes his wife Elda and their four daughters. Panchito believes that women should have equal opportunities and that they are critical to coffee production at every stage.
“When my four daughters lived here, the whole family would go to pick coffee. Later, my wife began to focus on drying the coffee, and two of my daughters went away to study. When they returned, they found jobs in the cooperative. One of them became a barista, eventually becoming the top barista there.”
“I taught my four daughters how to work in coffee. A woman can learn to do whatever a man does, there are no limitations to what a woman can do.”
TOGETHER IS ALWAYS BETTER
Working together is superior to struggling alone. The Capucas Cooperative that Panchito co-founded has helped him, his family and many other small-scale farmers achieve their goals.
“Working in a cooperative brings more benefits than working alone, including being able to certify your plot, accessing shared knowledge through the cooperative, and receiving training from external companies.”
Panchito believes that real profit in farming comes from the people he has met and the relationships he has built. He shares an anecdote from a time when a coffee buyer trusted him and his potential.
“That year, when the buyer visited us, my crop had been destroyed by coffee rust, a fungal disease. My coffee quality had decreased because of it. So when the buyer heard this, he offered to buy my coffee at a higher price.
“After two years, and thanks to his trust and support, I recovered my coffee quality and we kept the old price. This is how we maintain relationships, not everything is money; it’s about giving and receiving trust, advice and knowledge.”
Panchito first encountered Solidaridad through the RECLAIM Sustainability! Programme. Solidaridad and the Capucas team met to discuss what the organization needed to succeed. Digital tools were key. Solidaridad introduced a suite of tools and worked with Capucas to further develop digital tools that were already in use.
In Honduras, the TRACE digital tool is being used in partnership with Fairfood. This tool allows coffee to be traced from the farm to the final consumer. With this traceability model, coffee buyers will know that they will receive high-quality beans, farmers will know that they will receive a fair price for the coffee, and consumers can be certain that their product is authentic.
This year, the programme achieved the goal of shipping Capucas’ first container of 100% traceable Honduran coffee to Scotland.
"Change begins with the attitude we have and by knowing that the coffee buyers seek the best quality coffee," says Panchito who sees the programme as an opportunity to improve his coffee production.
RECLAIM Sustainability! was developed by Solidaridad in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and contributes to creating inclusive sustainable trade where the voices of smallholders are respected.
PUTTING FAMILY FIRST
Panchito and Elda enjoy working together as a family. “Doing coffee work with my kids and husband has been a beautiful experience. Coffee has given me the life I have, and I love working with it. In the coffee industry one never stops learning,” says Elda.
And the Capucas community recognizes Panchito for his dedication. “Panchito is the best example that we have here in the community,” said Omar. “He’s a man who has overcome the difficulties life gave him. He is an example of an entrepreneur. He’s an honest and dedicated worker, who is passionate about coffee.”
Panchito, Elda and their family will continue to be part of the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme. Their experience and knowledge serve as an example for their cooperative and the coffee sector in Honduras on how sustainability, resilience and the well-being of small-scale farmers go hand-in-hand.
Examples of coffee grown by Panchito and Elda
Examples of coffee grown by Panchito and Elda
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