Planting More Than Coffee: Visiting COMSA in Marcala, Honduras
This blog was written by Grow Ahead’s Social Media and Outreach Coordinator, Daniela Rebolledo, following her visit to COMSA Cooperative in Marcala, Honduras.
When you think of a coffee cooperative, you might picture rows of trees and beans being sorted for export. But in Marcala, Honduras, Café Orgánico Marcala (COMSA) is doing so much more. They’re growing knowledge, regenerating ecosystems, and building a better future. One rooted in the soil and the people who care for it.
This July, I had the chance to visit COMSA alongside their communications team. For several days, we explored farms and processing mills, spoke with passionate workers, youth leaders, and producers, and gathered stories of agroecology, education, and community resilience.
A Coffee Bean’s Journey and the People Behind It
One of our first stops was COMSA’s dry mill, where the scent of coffee fills the air and traceability isn’t just a buzzword, but daily practice. Here, coffee is carefully sorted and labeled, with each sack carrying a unique story of origin and care. I even got to stamp one myself, an unexpected surprise!
Behind every step of the process are people like Claudia, who coordinate export logistics with precision, and Ever, a field technician working to ensure that young coffee plants (and the farmers who care for them) start strong. Their work is quiet but powerful, grounded in commitment, transparency, and pride.
Amid the industrial hum, we came across a small hidden library filled with books that cooperative members and workers can rent out. It’s a simple, beautiful reminder of COMSA’s belief that growing minds is just as important as growing coffee.
COMSA’s regenerative work extends far beyond coffee. At La Fortaleza, a biodynamic farm located in Marcala, Honduras, that serves as a center of innovation and learning for COMSA, we explored how organic inputs such as compost and biofertilizers are created, tested, and shared with members. We also witnessed creative recycling processes, including the transformation of plastic waste into durable, wood-like fencing used to build furniture and structures for COMSA's projects.
This type of grassroots innovation was present in every corner of the visit, including at Planeta Verde, a family farm where Carla and Arnoldo grow specialty coffees and transform different components of coffee into value-added products such as flour, liquor, and chocolate. Their diversified model not only increases income, but restores the land, and celebrates local biodiversity.
Grow Ahead and COMSA Partnership
I had the time to chat with Nery, who coordinates the reforestation and nursery efforts supported by Grow Ahead. Through our mutual project, “Enhancing Climate Resilience on Coffee Farms,” COMSA is expanding their agroforestry systems that plant coffee alongside native trees and food crops—helping build both food sovereignty and climate resilience.
The project aims to plant 160,000 trees with 1,210 farmer families across nearly 4,000 acres. With over 20 tree species chosen for their ecological benefits, the goals are to restore water cycles, improve biodiversity, and increase shade for coffee plants making farms more adaptable to hurricanes, droughts, and other challenges brought about by climate change.
Trees are just one piece of the project. It also includes farmer training through COMSA’s renowned organic agriculture program, ensuring that each farmer has the tools and knowledge needed to implement regenerative practices in a way that works for their land.
This collaboration is built on years of shared work. Grow Ahead began partnering with COMSA in 2017, funding scholarships for farmers to attend COMSA’s training program. Since then, we’ve joined forces on multiple agroforestry and farmer-led education initiatives—including a 2020 training specifically for women farmers.
Education that Transforms
At COMSA, education is at the core of everything they do. We spoke with Yeni, a young leader whose journey began in COMSA’s alternative education program. She shared how training and mentorship deepened her connection to the land and her desire to continue her father’s legacy as a producer in her project Mar de Montañas.
Later on, I sat down with Rodolfo, COMSA’s general manager, who shared how the cooperative got its start back in 2001 and has since grown into a powerful example of ecological and social transformation. He introduced me to COMSA’s unique educational framework, known as the “5M” philosophy:
Materia Orgánica (Organic Matter)
Minerales (Minerals)
Microorganismos de Montaña (Mountain Microorganisms)
Moléculas Vivas (Living Molecules)
Materia Gris (Grey Matter or Human Creativity)
It’s a thoughtful blend of science, traditional knowledge, and creativity that’s clearly making an impact.
Food, Forests, and the Future
At La Colmena, a model agroecological farm where coffee, fruit trees, native species, and learning spaces coexist, we met Harold who has been working with COMSA for over a decade. As he guided us through the farm’s winding paths and shaded coffee rows, he showed us how beekeeping is integrated into the system. The bees support pollination and biodiversity, while honey production offers an additional income stream for farming families. It’s a beautiful example of how regeneration can be both ecological and economic.
To end the visit, we stopped by the agroecological market in Marcala. It was buzzing with fresh produce, handmade goods, herbal remedies, and community energy, just like COMSA itself.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to be impressed by the numbers—millions of pounds of coffee exported, hundreds of member families impacted, thousands of hectares reforested. But what stayed with me most were the conversations. The stories of farmers reimagining their land, of youth reclaiming their futures, and of community collaboration as a tool not only for surviving but for thriving.
COMSA shows us what’s possible when a community leads with vision, values, and collective action. At Grow Ahead, we’re honored to support their work through our agroforestry partnership and to help share these stories with the world.
Support the project by planting a tree below, and stay tuned for more in-depth interviews, short videos, and farmer voices coming soon to our blog and Instagram.
Special thanks to Melzar and Grasia from COMSA’s team for their time, guidance, generosity, and for snapping some great behind-the-scenes photos along the way.
Daniela Rebolledo is Grow Ahead's Social Media and Outreach Coordinator. Find more incredible photos and stories from her trip on Instagram.