December 2025: Podium Gold. Lamppost Coffee

Country: Honduras
Varietals: Pacas
Process: Washed
Producer: Fidel Paz
Elevation: 1,600 MASL
Tasting notes: Plum, Black Tea, Lemon, Panela

The coffee:

Fidel Paz, along with his son Benjamin, runs Beneficio San Vicente, which supports and represents producers from the award-winning Santa Barbara region of Honduras. Fidel and San Vicente have been dedicated to improving the lives and livelihoods of Santa Barbara producers for over 70 years. Fidel and his team offer competitive prices for cherries from local farmers, assist with planning and implementation of better growing and harvesting practices, and have been instrumental in making Santa Barbara the most represented region in the Honduras Cup of Excellence.

The story of Fidel's farm, Finca El Garrote, is a perfect example of his dedication to the people and ecology of the Santa Barbara region. Paz came into ownership of Finca El Garrote to prevent his neighbor from clear-cutting protected land for an avocado farm.

Fidel's solution was to purchase the land from his neighbor and teach him how to produce coffee instead. The name "El Garrote" translates as "The Stick," commemorating the neighbor's dismay at the sight of only sticks where they had planted coffee. Fortunately for Fidel's neighbor, their crop matured as expected, and is now producing delicious coffees that are exemplary of the Santa Barbara region.

The roaster:

Lamppost Coffee was founded in 2015 by Brian Burns in Round Rock, Texas. The story began with a simple vision: Love coffee. Love people. Brian's desire was to create space and opportunity for these two ideas to come together. What started as a single neighborhood coffee shop has now grown to five locations around the Austin area as well as a roasting facility and mobile coffee company in two states, Texas and Colorado.

In 2023, Lamppost expanded their passion for quality by acquiring their own roasting facility. Under the leadership of Head Roaster Sean Jones, their roasting program has continued to evolve and elevate. Sean started working with Lamppost as a part-time barista, and they quickly realized his capacity to do a lot more. His background and present-day skills include head trainer, technician, roaster, and green coffee buyer. Sean’s dedication to precision, experimentation, and education has pushed their coffee to a whole new level.

Both Brian and Sean share a deep love for the world of coffee. From the farmers at origin to the final product that they serve and share with their community, coffee has an almost magical way of bringing people together. That connection guides everything they roast, brew, and serve.