History & Origins
Finca El Puente is owned and operated by Marysabel Caballero and her husband Moises Herrera, both highly respected figures in the coffee industry. Marysabel represents the fourth generation of coffee producers in her family, with the tradition dating back to 1907 when her great-grandfather, Don Felipe García, began cultivating coffee in Honduras.
Don Felipe’s dedication led him to grow, process, and transport coffee beans on mules in leather sacks to El Salvador for export to Germany. In return for his coffee, he received essential goods such as cloth, tools, and fertilizers, which he distributed through a small store in Marcala.
Moisés Herrera, hailing from Guatemala, initially worked for a coffee exporter. However, a fateful visit to Honduras in 1992 ignited his passion for coffee, particularly in the municipality of Chinacla, just beyond Marcala’s borders. Moisés and Marysabel married in 1996, embarking on their journey as coffee cultivators together.
Marysabel Caballero Garcia and Ezri Moises Herrera Urizar founded Finca el Puente in 1996 in the county of Chinacla of the department of La Paz, Honduras.
Their operation in the renowned growing region of Marcala, Honduras is a collection of 35 distinct farms—one of which, Finca El Puente, produced the first lot of coffee they sold to specialty roasters in 2004.
In 2016, they achieved their greatest recognition, winning first place in the Honduras Cup of Excellence with their Geisha coffee, scoring 91.7 points.
The journey wasn’t without challenges—in 2015 they placed last in the Cup of Excellence, which became a turning point that drove their innovation and dedication to quality improvement.
Terroir & Growing Conditions
Finca El Puente is situated in a small municipality of coffee growing department La Paz.
Today Finca El Puente counts for 180 hectares of planted coffee.
The farm is located in the region of Chinacla, La Paz at an altitude of 1500 ~ 1680 meters above sea level.
The coffee is grown at an elevation higher than 1350 meters, making it Strictly High Grown coffee, with lots situated between 1500 and 1680 meters above sea level.
With ideal temperature, altitudes and rain fall this area created perfect coffee growing conditions.
The farm itself covers the side of a mountain, and there are a number of little hidden valleys where the coffee is tucked; each has a name, and its own personality.
The interesting blend of coniferous and broad-leaved trees creates a unique landscape that can remind one of the Pacific Northwest.
Altitude makes for lower temperatures. As a result, coffee ripens slowly and the sugars in it develop at a moderate rate. This is what makes the coffee flavor richer, denser.
El Puente is profoundly committed to the environmental sustainability of its farms. Their unwavering focus goes into improving the soil to create a healthy growing environment for their coffee trees.
To further promote environmental health, they refrain from using pesticides on their farms. Instead, they manage shade levels to control the growth of fungi and other coffee diseases. They have also adopted wider tree spacing, deviating from conventional practices, to reduce the risk of fungus and leaf rust.
Processing & Production
Curios by nature, Marysabel and Moises started experimenting with not only varieties but coffee processing methods. A typical processing method in Honduras is a washed process but in the last few years Finca El Puente has been experimenting and processing coffees in various ways from natural through anaerobic process.
Both coffees have been carefully picked, separated and dried on raised beds for 30 days. The beds are located in the area where shade and sun can be controlled for optimal temperature management. The coffee is stored in grain pro after it reaches desired moisture level of 10-11%.
For natural processing, freshly picked, ripe coffee cherries are first 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 are removed from the seed. With the cherries drying in a single layer and constantly being rotated, it helps to ensure that overfermentation is avoided.
Marysabel and Moises dry the special lots and specific varieties on raised African beds. Depending on what the farmers are looking for as an end result, they use either sun, or a mixture of both sun and shade. This elongates the drying time for washed coffees to about 18 days and natural coffees to about 30 days.
Today the mill has been modernised and includes a complete dry-mill which means they can control the quality from tree to final packaged green coffee for export.
They have been pushing hard for many years to get seeds from rare coffee cultivars. Since roasters started buying coffee from them they have established a decent production of Geisha, Java, SL28, Batian, Pacamara and Ethiopian cultivars.
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
Every year since 2004, their signature catuaí variety coffee has impressed buyers with notes of juicy plum, lemon zest and vanilla cream in this classic cup.
Honduras Finca El Puente offers a cup of the tastiest coffee from Honduras with a chocolaty flavor. Honduras coffee lovers and experts share the opinion that it is chocolate that you are most likely to find in the flavor of Honduran coffees.
The notes of rich, thick dark chocolate play with the sweet astringent taste of plum.
Their Gesha variety is renowned for its quality, specifically relating to its unique sweetness and elegant floral notes. This Gesha is an elegant and floral cup, overflowing with notes of sweet jasmine, citrus marmalade and fragrant vanilla.
Their catuaí lots typically present as sweet, uncomplicated coffee with notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, and an herbal finish.
The washed process offers a unique tasting experience that distinguishes itself through balanced sweetness and distinctive sensory notes. The presence of chocolate provides a touch of depth and warmth, while hints of green apple add vibrant freshness and light acidity that perfectly balances the overall profile. Additionally, subtle cookie accents further enrich the tasting experience.
The aftertaste comes with lingering sweetness. The cup is fragrant, balanced, vibrant. Honduras’ harvest Finca El Puente is all that and more! The farm’s commitment to experimental processing methods continues to push the boundaries of flavor development, offering roasters and consumers access to both classic Central American profiles and innovative expressions of terroir.