Tripp Pomeroy, Leigh and Clay Hartman
On Friday, October 13, 2000, Buck’s Coffee Café in Highlands opened its doors. Thanks to a bit of luck and a love of early mornings with espresso, I became their very first customer. From that first indulgent sip, I knew I was tasting something special. What I didn’t know then was the extraordinary journey those beans had taken to reach my cup.
That journey began with Tommy and Linda Clark and their brother Buck French—the namesake behind Buck’s Coffee. A serendipitous visit to a coffee shop on Tybee Island led them to a rich, balanced brew and, after some gentle persistence, to the source: Café Campesino, a roastery in Americus, Georgia.
Drawn by both the quality and the mission, they made a defining choice for their café: they partnered with Café Campesino, a company grounded in fair trade, single-origin beans, and direct relationships with small-scale farmers. It was a perfect alignment of values and vision.
Steve and Stephanie Miskew and Tripp Pomeroy
In time, Tommy and Linda expanded their dream, opening a second Buck’s Coffee Café in Cashiers. Both locations became beloved community hubs—not only for their cozy atmosphere and great coffee, but for something deeper: a quiet commitment to global fairness.
In May 2019, Clay and Leigh Hartman purchased Buck’s in Highlands and reimagined it as Calders Coffee Café. Two years later, in 2021, Stephanie and Steve Miskew became the new owners of Buck’s in Cashiers. Though each café has its own personality, both credit Café Campesino as a cornerstone of their success and chose to keep that relationship strong.
“Our relationship with Campesino Organic Coffee goes far beyond just sourcing great beans; they’ve been true partners from day one,” explains Leigh Hartman of Calders. “They roast all of our coffee, including our personal favorite, the Calders Vibes blend. From the first few chaotic weeks of ownership to the challenges of the pandemic, they’ve supported us at every turn. Their community-centered values mirror our own, and anytime we’ve been in a pinch, they’ve gone above and beyond to help. We couldn’t ask for better partners.”
As Steve Miskew of Buck’s Coffee Café shares, “Buck’s is an institution in Cashiers, and we are very blessed to carry on its traditions of family, fellowship, and community—all built around the glorious roasts of Café Campesino. Their vision and virtues permeate every cup.”
Café Campesino was born during a 1997 Habitat for Humanity trip to Guatemala, when co-founder Bill Harris saw firsthand the grueling labor and unfair pay faced by coffee farmers. “So we bought a container of coffee and imported it,” Harris recalls, “with the idea of cutting out the middleman and being able to pay the farmers better prices.” That simple yet radical shift became the foundation of Café Campesino: a supply chain built on direct relationships, fair compensation, and deep respect for the people who grow the coffee.
Prices are negotiated with a win-win mentality, ensuring that farmers receive reliable income and are paid on time. In addition to the base price, they earn organic and fair trade premiums—funds managed by their co-ops and reinvested into education, healthcare, infrastructure, and sustainability. The farmers gain more than income—they gain agency.
Bill Harris with members of farmer co-op in Honduras.
And the impact is tangible: proper ventilation in homes, concrete floors instead of dirt, children who stay in school, families who can travel for medical care, and farmers who invest in the future of their land.
“I love what Bill did,” says current CEO Tripp Pomeroy. “He followed the farmers’ lead—their cooperative model—and brought roasters together around fair trade, transparency, and solidarity. By pooling our demand, we could buy directly from small-scale farmers and make the system work for them.”
Tripp and Bill visit their farmer partners regularly, nurturing relationships that go far beyond business. Alongside their network of North American roasters, they helped establish a cooperative fund that’s proven vital in times of crisis.
Tripp Pomeroy at a coffee farm in Sumatra
In the early 2000s, when the La Roya disease devastated crops in Colombia, the indigenous coffee cooperative Fondo Paez saw its harvest drop dramatically—threatening the livelihoods of its members. Café Campesino’s roaster network stepped in with vital support. That kind of solidarity is rare—and reciprocal. After Hurricane Katrina disrupted U.S. supply chains, the farmers reached out to help their roaster partners in return.
As one Honduran farmer put it, “The environment is another person with a seat at the table.” That ethos—of sustainability, community, and shared responsibility—is what makes Café Campesino more than a buyer or supplier. They’re colleagues, mentors, and friends.
After 25 years of leading with organics and sustainability, Café Campesino is rebranding. As Georgia’s first and only 100% organic certified roaster, its mission now lives in its name: Campesino Organic Coffee Co.
I had the pleasure of meeting Tripp while he was visiting Buck’s and Calders in July. His passion for ethical sourcing and deep respect for farmers was immediately evident. He spent time with all four current owners—Stephanie and Steve in Cashiers, Leigh and Clay in Highlands—listening, advising, and strengthening the connections that make this partnership so effective. It was a visit full of purpose and friendship, grounded in shared values and a genuine sense of community.
From the mountains of North Carolina to the hillsides of Honduras and beyond, the journey of the bean is a story of connection. It’s about people showing up for one another—through fair prices, shared harvests, and helping hands in hard times. At Calders and Buck’s, that story continues with every cup poured and every conversation shared.
Because in the end, coffee is more than a beverage. It’s a bridge. And the community brew that binds us.
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