Stumptown’s relationship with Moisés Herrera and Marysabel Caballero began in 2004. This husband and wife team continues to inspire us with their commitment to quality and innovation, and their focus on community and environmental responsibility. Moisés and Marysabel’s operation in the renowned coffee region of Marcala is a collection of farms — one of which, Finca El Puente, produced the coffee Stumptown originally bought from them through the Cup of Excellence competition.
As a fourth-generation coffee farmer, Marysabel Caballero’s bond with coffee is directly tied 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 where it was 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 an exporting company. On a trip to Honduras in 1992, Moisés visited an area in the municipality of Chinacla, just outside of Marcala, and noted the ideal altitude and conditions needed to produce high-quality coffee. He met Marysabel, they were married in 1996, and together they began planting and cultivating coffee on their first farm in the area, La Matilde.
Moisés and Marysabel are continually working to improve the quality of their coffee and the efficiency of their operations while caring for the natural environment. On the farms they are working on a regenerative agriculture project and focusing on deliberate renovations to maintain soil and tree health. They also have a goal of planting an additional 10,000 shade trees this year. The main wet mill relies primarily on gravity to move coffee through the process, reducing water usage. Moisés and Marysabel have also installed centrifugal dryers to quickly remove the surface water of the beans before drying. They have upgraded drying infrastructure and utilized both mechanical dryers, fueled by the parchment that is removed from the bean before shipment, as well as raised beds.
Always looking to push the boundaries, El Puente have explored the world of boutique varieties and new processing techniques. After several years of experimenting, Moisés developed this particular protocol for natural process coffees in 2017, with a focus on consistency and cleanliness in the cup. First, freshly picked, ripe coffee cherries are laid out to dry in a single layer on raised beds for one week. Then, lots are combined to continue drying slowly for two to three additional weeks, before the dried fruit and parchment is removed from the seed using specialized equipment.
Coffees processed in this way — leaving the fruit to dry on the seed, rather than removing it first and washing off the mucilage — are called natural process, or sometimes “dry” process coffees. This method tends to accentuate more pronounced fruit notes and an elevated body in the cup.
