Mr. John Coffee

How did this place come about and what made it different from the start?
It was born from an experience that made me connect with the world of specialty coffee. Walking through the historic center of Puebla on a Sunday visit, a café offering specialty coffee caught my eye. This was around 2023. I went in to take a look, and the design of the place was beautiful and different, so we went inside. We started noticing words like origin, variety, roast, coffee notes, and the guy at the counter began explaining what specialty coffee was all about.

I think it was the attention to detail, the explanation and the love for making coffee that got me. From there I started to investigate. I'm not going to lie to you: we started like many coffee entrepreneurs, without experience, without a path or sales metrics, but I guess those experiences make you value your work.

From our origins, what made us different was hospitality. Serving, for me, is something as beautiful and noble as an artist's painting or a civil engineer's well-structured plan. To be able to see the smile on our customers' faces when they take their first sip of coffee, or their surprise when they take their first bite of a croissant, fills my heart and makes me feel alive.

What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most?
The group coffee tasting days are among the activities we enjoy most at the bar, as we experiment with the flavors and smells of other coffees. This allows us to grow our sensory library and be more accurate in calibrating our coffees, as well as the briefings before the pizza service.

If someone is coming in for the first time, what should they not miss?
Our cappuccino, tiramisu and Aeropress with our roasted coffee.

What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project?
Undoubtedly, the growth of the coffee shop and the possible loss of that human spark: to really know that you are making a coffee with intention and that there is a story behind it from the farm. There are places that distort this a little by riding the wave -which is not a bad thing-, but in the process they distort what had already been built.

What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today?
For me it has been the book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. When I started reading it a few months ago, I was constantly thinking, “the same thing happened to me” or “I want to try that with the team”. It has helped me realize that hospitality is something that is sometimes left behind and that, no matter what professional area you are in, it is of utmost importance. In the end, we are always serving: whether it's a product or our professional services.

What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why?
One of our favorite places to visit in CDMX is Saint. It inspires us every time we visit because of what they represent and all the delicious breads they make.

If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together?
We would love to collaborate with René Redzepi: making a coffee with experimental fermentation for filtered coffees, or maybe a pizza using an ingredient from Tehuacán processed through fermentation. It’s something we would love to do, and it might not be that far off.

Is there an object, corner or detail of the place that has a story that few people know?
Yes, the place where the cafeteria is located today used to be my grandparents' house, and at some point I also lived there with my parents and siblings. Seeing the house transformed and so many people enjoying the place and what we do gives me a very nice feeling. I have a feeling that my grandparents would be very happy to see how we have grown, as well as my parents, siblings and my wife Liss, with whom together we have built this.

If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why?
It would be the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band of The Beatles, because each song represents a different stage and a different rhythm. Experiment with new things and don't stay static with one idea, drink or dish. Change is not bad: it is part of growth, discovery and the path that any business or person should have.

Answers by Roberto Jhasua Palafox Luna, CEO of Mr. John Coffee.