From Producer to Roaster to Barista: Honduras Marcala Specialty Coffee
Honduras Marcala Specialty Coffee is owned and run by Producer Juan Urquia and Head of Quality Liliana Cardona. During Cozy Canine Coffee’s first year of business (which is this year!), I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Juan and Liliana, drinking their coffee and having the opportunity to bring it in as our first direct trade offering. I am a huge fan of their coffee, which has notes of caramel sweetness, milk chocolate and a smooth finish and immediately wanted to share their coffee with my customers. I’m also very excited about their growth and passion as coffee producers.
During Liliana’s visit to San Diego, the three of us went to Garden Coffee in Old Town, where I roast an exclusive blend of Juan & Liliana’s coffee for their espresso bar. Garden Coffee serves “Riker’s Roast”, which is a blend of washed and honey processed coffees from Honduras Marcala and named after the owner’s rescue dog. We got to share cups & pastries with Jess, the owner of Garden Coffee and talk about all things coffee and plants — how the harvest season went this year, roast profiles and tips, other crops growing at their farms, Riker’s Roast as an Americano vs. Latte, what we’re excited about & overall just enjoying each other’s company!
The barista team at Garden Coffee is incredibly talented and puts so much care into the drinks they make for customers. As a former barista myself, we got to nerd out together about the opportunity to make a drink for the producer of the espresso you’re pulling on bar. Maybe a little daunting because of the pressure, but exciting nevertheless. It is the beginning and the end of the supply chain that I’m always learning more and more about!
As a roaster, I get the opportunity to introduce coffees that I’m excited about to you all and to share why. There is a responsibility in being a roaster that impacts both directions on the supply chain - to the producers you are buying green coffee from and your customers that are buying your roasted coffee. Being able to connect Juan & Liliana with Jess and her incredible team of baristas made my roaster heart happy. We got to see folks around us enjoying their coffee and it is exciting to know that more to come is just around the corner.
A huge thank you to Juan & Liliana for the incredibly hard work that you and your team put into the farming, production and logistics of your incredible coffees and taking the time to share your experiences with me. Thank you to Jess for the opportunity to bring my coffee into your magical coffee shop, Garden Coffee. Thank you to the baristas at Garden Coffee for taking such wonderful care of the coffee you serve. And thank you to the customers who support your local coffee shops like Garden Coffee and roasters like myself.
You can find Juan & Liliana’s coffee in our “Who’s A Good Pup?” House Blend, Sidekick Single Origin: Honduras Marcala and Garden Coffee’s exclusive “Riker’s Roast” House Blend. I’m excited to share and update you all more when this year’s crop is available!