Pacayal Coffee was born out of the resilience of Honduran farmers who refused to give up on coffee production in the face of the Roya outbreak of 2013. While their fellow farmers considered emigrating to the United States in search of the American Dream, Edgar and Karen Carillo realized they had great coffee and could start a business that would earn quality-driven farmers a better price through direct market access. In 2014 they founded Pacayal Coffee, which has since grown to 134 members, 54 of whom are women.

The motto of the organization is “quality does not suffer the crisis,” speaking to the dedication of Pacayal Coffee to producing exceptional coffee and improving the livelihoods of farmers.

Pacayal Coffee invests in several initiatives for producers, including best agricultural practices training to prevent Roya, economic empowerment programs for women, sustainable production practices training, and quality research to develop award-winning coffees. In 2017, the farm Las Flores, owned by producer Natalia Pineda, produced a coffee that placed fourth in the Honduras Cup of Excellence.