2021: A Year in Re-Brew

As 2021 comes to an end, we can’t help but reflect on how far Alma Coffee has come in the past 365 days... it is truly surreal!

Most of you reading this are probably familiar with the Alma story, one that involves over five generations of coffee farming in Corquin, Honduras. 

Specifically, you may be familiar with where this story formed new branches in early 2018, and that's when my husband Harry and I were the first in our generational coffee family to not only farm our coffee, but to roast and sell it fresh and direct to consumers like you!

Being first time entrepreneurs while navigating the first years of operation through a worldwide pandemic was not exactly a walk in the park, but we are grateful for every single moment of the journey so far—and it truly wouldn’t be possible without your support!

As we prepare for a new year filled with new and exciting opportunities for our small business, we want to take a moment to reflect on some of the many wins from Alma Coffee's 2021 year!

I know, I know, but seriously! So many small and large businesses of all kinds have shut down during this pandemic, and we are grateful every single day to still be here roasting fresh coffee!

We’ve more than doubled our team in just 12 months, and the best part is every single person working at our Holly Springs, GA roastery is truly like a family member. 

Most of the time we feel like we are hanging out with our best friends at work, and that is what we have always wanted to have in a “job”. It’s so cool to think of the culture we have crafted in this small business and the amazing individuals that we now have in our lives

For all our local folks you've seen it first hand, but we started the year with an espresso machine and freshly roasted coffee. Little by little, we have transformed a small corner of our warehouse into a full-service café destination for the whole community. 

From perfecting in-house made latte syrups, using herbs from our own little garden for flavor, to growing a barista team now 3 strong, we are amazed with how many of you love coming to hang out at our café every day. 

Can you believe we now have 19 different roasts to choose from?! 

2021 started with 7 staple roasts, but our selection has continued to expand exponentially and will continue to grow and grow and grow!

You saw us on TV and across the internet!! What?! No really!!! 

From news features on CBS National News, Fox 5 Atlanta, and Channel 2, to being featured TWICE on the famous YouTuber Adam Ragusea’s food science channel. It is still beyond surreal and to be honest…weird!

Although there is still some aftermath, we were able to aid in fixing the only bridge that provides entry and exit into our town of Corquin, fueled our trucks that donated time and labor to restoring the roads, and donated food and essentials to those that lost it all!

We built an export facility, the last and missing piece in being 100% fully vertically integrated from farm to cup. In a condensed form, the export center allows us to dry coffee in much larger quantities and prepare our own containers for export. 

This has allowed us to be much more sustainable in minimizing waste and reusing byproducts as much as possible. 

We also received many fantastic certifications in 2021 geared towards improving lives and sustainable practices, as covered in a recent one-on-one interview with Head of Certifications at Finca T.

To be honest, these are only a few of the many things we can think of, and we're sure we probably missed so so sooo many other great things that happened in 2021. 

At the end of the day, none of these things would be possible without you, so THANK YOU Alma Familia! 

We know you have a lot of coffee options to choose from and we know you splurge on Alma Coffee in order to support our direct trade mission, for all of this, we are eternally grateful. Thank you for believing in us, believing in our key pillars, and for believing in our difference. We look forward to all the amazing things that 2022 has awaiting us!