APOLINAR HERNÁNDEZ

In the mountains of Oaxaca’s Sierra Sur, near Mexico’s southern coast, Apolinar Hernández grows coffee in San Pedro el Alto, at 1,400 meters above sea level.

Apolinar is part of the growers association Unión San Pedro. His coffees have long contributed to regional blends, but this harvest offered an opportunity to reveal his work more closely.

With continued care for his soil, Apolinar nourishes his coffee trees with organic composts and compost teas. He has seen that attention reflected in the health of the plants—and, ultimately, in the way the coffee develops in the roaster. This year, he also explored both washed and natural processing, with promising results from each approach.

NERDA selected Apolinar’s washed Mundo Novo lot for its brightness and the story it carries: a coffee shaped by patient farming, thoughtful experimentation, and a beautiful corner of Oaxaca.