The Story Behind Marquesa

When we started building Conch Coffee, we wanted every detail to matter. We searched for real authenticity. A true reason behind what we did and why we did it. We spent hours on the small things—choosing the right coffees, picking the right packaging. Naming the roasts was no different.

Here’s a glimpse into how each name came to be. We hope the stories from our past make you smile and think of your own.

The Marquesa Keys have always had a mystique. A chain of uninhabited islands, they sit twenty miles west of Key West, separating the Gulf from the Atlantic. Rugged, untouched, they’ve withstood storms and served as a refuge for Cuban exiles making their way north, seeking freedom.

As a kid, I watched Jose Wejebe and Flip Pallot on ESPN’s Saltwater Sundays, hearing stories of those pristine flats. It seemed like a place you could never reach.

But as I grew, I moved from wade fishing and paddling local waters to fishing from a skiff, a boat that could take me farther. I met good friends and mentors, men who taught me the ways of the water.

Technology improved, motors became more reliable, and those unreachable places became just a little bit closer. The world shrinks as you get older. But there’s still something that hits you when the phone stops ringing and you push farther from home. Something that makes you feel alive.