Determination, Perseverance, and Passion: The Origin of Mercon Coffee Group

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It all started with love. The year was 1853 and Moises Baltodano had just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania as a medical doctor. Although the United States held a bright future for the young man, he returned to his native Nicaragua—where the only woman he would ever love awaited.

Once back home, Moises acknowledged the difficulties faced by many peers in his homeland who couldn’t afford medical services, and he harnessed his many years of medical education abroad to give back to his community. Nonetheless, he still needed to provide for his wife and household, which led him to purchase his first coffee farm as a way to make a living. It was then, nearly 170 years ago, that coffee began percolating in the Baltodano bloodline, becoming a passion that would be passed down through the generations.

In 1896, 43 years after purchasing his first coffee farm, Moises decided to explore opportunities in Europe, as a way to mitigate the drop in local coffee sales. He took the coffee from his own plantations as well as from his neighbors and began a new international journey. His boldness paid off, and so began a family legacy of rising to challenges, supporting neighbors, and being open to exploring opportunities outside of Nicaragua’s borders.

This was the true beginning of CISA Exportadora – the first company in (what would later be) Mercon’s history. In 1950, Dulio Baltodano, Moises son, founded CISA as a coffee export company in Nicaragua, enabling local producers to sell their coffee in international markets. For more than 20 years the company flourished, becoming the largest coffee exporter in Nicaragua until the government in office nationalized the export of coffee and CISA ceased operations.

With the closure of CISA in Nicaragua, Jose Antonio Baltodano, Duilio’s son, moved to New York City in 1982, where he founded Mercon Coffee Corporation to keep the family business alive – after all, coffee was in his very DNA.  Based in the United States, the company’s objective was to buy and sell coffee throughout the world. Interestingly, Jose Antonio chose the name Mercon because it blended two key company functions: being merchants and consultants.

Some years later, conditions were right for CISA to reopen, resuming operations in 1991. Undaunted, they renewed their interactions with local producers, once again building the foundation that underpins CISA’s success: strong relationships that are forged on mutual trust, respect, and collaboration.

Although they were separate companies at that time, Mercon Coffee Corporation and CISA Exportadora shared a purpose for building a better coffee world. Better because sustainable practices would always be implemented. Better because they were committed to providing unsurpassed service and the right quality of coffee. Better, because they wanted to cultivate strong ties with producers, particularly the smaller ones who are so often underserved. And better because they wanted to build a team that was not only knowledgeable and capable but genuinely passionate about coffee.

This philosophy drove strong growth, with additional companies being added to the group in Vietnam, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, and Ethiopia, as well as headquarters established in Amsterdam and Barcelona. Our journey has led not only to building stronger relationships with producers worldwide but strengthening our efforts and visibility toward sustainable coffee production, as is the case of LIFT, our proprietary sustainability platform.

Today, Mercon is a vertically integrated, leading green coffee supplier with expertise that spans the entire coffee supply chain. Our commitment to sustainability and prosperity has been our cornerstone every step of the way during our over 70 years in the industry. We are excited to see what the future holds in our purpose of building a better coffee world.

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