Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera

Moisés and Marysabel’s operation in the renowned growing region of Marcala is a collection of 35 distinct farms – one of which, Finca el Puente, produced the first coffee we bought from them. Though it started with microlots, our business has truly grown together: Stumptown now buys from El Puente for all tiers of our business, to use in cold brew, blends, and our single origin lineup.

As a fourth generation coffee farmer, Marysabel Caballero’s bond with coffee is intimately connected to her family’s history. Coffee cultivation in Marysabel’s family dates back to 1907, when her great-grandfather began growing coffee in Honduras. According to family history, Don Felipe García grew and processed coffee in Marcala, then transported it by mule in sacks made of leather to a port in El Salvador to be exported to Germany. He received payment for his coffee in cloth, tools and fertilizers, which he sold in a small store in Marcala.

Moisés Herrera’s coffee story began in Guatemala, where he worked for a Guatemalan coffee exporter. On a work trip to Honduras in 1992, Moisés visited an area in the municipality of Chinacla, just outside of Marcala, which he observed had the ideal altitude and conditions to produce high quality coffee. Moisés and Marysabel were married in 1996, and together they began planting and cultivating coffee on their first farm, La Maltide.

Moisés and Marysabel are continually working to improve the quality of their coffee and the efficiency of their operations while caring for their natural environment. In 2020, they relocated their processing facilities in an effort to reduce water usage. The new design now relies primarily on gravity to move the coffee. Moisés and Marysabel also place a genuine emphasis on giving back to the local community. Each year, they help fund the renovation of one of their workers’ homes in Marcala.