SALEM- Salem Coffee Roasters is bringing a unique business idea to the Salem area.
Owner Lan Marberry, who also owns Bon Mua Oregon coffee here in town, wanted to create a business that helps lesser-known family coffee growers around the world.
Marberry and her family grew up on a coffee farm in a small village in Vietnam. Her father helped manage the farm and she worked there until moving to the United States for college.
“My father was a coffee farmer for 40 years, and that’s where I spent my early years,” Marberry said. “Everything came from coffee, and he started the coffee farm before he had children. We were a working-class community with many coffee farmers.”
After living in the states for seven years, she went back to visit her father and the farm and realized she wanted to begin importing his coffee.
“I told my father to send me his coffee, about 50 pounds,” Marberry said. “I want to show you who’s drinking your coffee. Then I invited him to Oregon to show him where the coffee ended up.”
As her original business began to take off (Bon Mua Oregon), she was ingrained in the Salem community and was thinking about other ways to help out.
The three most important values in her life were passion, appreciation, and sharing.
Her passion for growing coffee motivated her to keep going with the business, as she got older, she appreciated having more time with her family and community and she wanted to show her appreciation by giving back.
“It doesn’t matter how much we have, what matters is how much we can contribute,” Marberry said.
After hearing stories about the struggles of other coffee farmers around the world, she decided to do something about it, and the idea for Salem Coffee Roasters was born.
They will focus on marginalized coffee farmers in Mexico, Hawaii, Kenya, Guatemala, Colombia, India, and South Africa.
“The coffee-growing population is underrepresented, and I truly hope we can attract more and improve the lives of coffee farmers,” Marberry said. “It’s never too late to have a small business like ours and do something like this.”
The business will include a roasting facility with a small retail space for people to come in and try samples of the coffee before purchasing. The space will also include murals.
The facility is currently under construction with a target date to open in September.
“My goal is to create as many jobs in the community as possible, and with this business, we want to expand coffee production,” Marberry said. “I want to provide an opportunity for those other coffee farmers and hear their stories.”
To show her gratitude for her community, she will include the names of each Salem neighborhood in the names of her coffee at Salem Coffee Roasters, including Morningside, Mill Creek, Sunny Slope, and Waterfront.
“It’s a privilege to grow and sell coffee in this community,” Marberry said.