Before coffee is coffee, it’s an almendra: a bean that’s been grown, meticulously picked, fermented, and dried — but still waiting for the fire that will embolden its purpose.

For most of my life I immersed myself in art and design, and found my career to be incredibly fulfilling. Though, if you’ve ever even dabbled in any form of design, you might relate to the feeling that perfection will always stay just out of reach — and that is where I found myself often enough to begin looking for something to spark a broader purpose.

It turns out, that spark originated in a very specific childhood moment: my first sip of coffee.

I was thirteen! It was the summer of ninety-something at our family cabin in the mountains of Colombia. I can still recall the crackling fireplace, my family gathered around board games, and the excitement of taking a forbidden sip of something largely forbidden at that age.

By 2025, during a time we can easily call my midlife awakening, everything came full circle. I found myself embracing a deeper, more authentic calling: a heartfelt commitment to foster community by bringing people together over exceptional coffee, genuine human connection, and meaningful conversation.