LUIS ALVARADO - Chief Operating Officer
I come from Barrio el Tigre, a humble neighborhood of Cabañas, in the region in Copan.
A teacher by professional education, my inner calling brought me on another path: a five-star coffee taster.
My career in the coffee world started in 2009 by learning the art of cupping at the School of Tasters of Honduras. From there, I went on supervising and managing quality control for well-known Honduran coffee exporters for seven years. My job was making sure we sent out only the best batches because our markets were very demanding. The responsibility was huge: what was at stake was our reputation and our professional integrity.
In 2014, I began to participate as a National Cup of Excellence Judge in Honduras. It was a significant accomplishment; only the country's best tasters are given a chance to work along with the world's most renowned tasters. This experience became a continuous role for me: I was invited to be part of the judging panel all the years that followed.
I am passionate about my mission and always willing to share my knowledge. That, combined with my previous career, is why people from the coffee sector here call me "the Teacher."