Hero's Roast

Background: 

As a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, we value veterans past and present who have made the ultimate commitment and sacrifice for our country. As Veteran’s Day approaches, we are honoring Veterans with an exclusive roast dedicated to their service. Meet "Hero's Roast."

The foundation of Hero's Roast lies within our Veteran co-founder and co-owner, Al Lopez. Not only is Al a 4th generation coffee farmer born and raised in Honduras, but he also served in the U.S. Army. Al is extremely proud of the time he spent in the military and says it was one of the highest honors of his life.

Max Folger, Operations Manager at Alma Coffee and Marine Veteran, spearheaded this project from concept to execution. He was directly involved in developing the roast profile, connecting the meaning of this coffee to a larger “22” veteran theme, and partnering with a non-profit organization that will use donated proceeds from the roast to assist with local veteran affairs.

22: The number 22 represents the number of veterans who take their life on American soil every single day. This very real and somber fact stuck with us throughout the development of this coffee, which is why the “Hero’s Roast” will be featured for 22 days, priced at $22, and $2 from every 12oz bag purchase will be donated directly to the Cherokee County Homeless Veteran’s Program. Your purchase of the “Hero’s Roast” will make a difference in the lives of Georgia veterans and here’s how:

Who: Homeless Veterans in Cherokee County and beyond

What:

• Donating $2 from every Hero’s Roast 12oz bag purchase (An additional $2 will be donated to other programs when this coffee is purchased using the partner code from participating businesses.)
• Donating $5 from every 2lb Hero's Roast bag purchased
• Donating $11 from every 5lb Hero's Roast bag purchased

When: 22 days in November (11/3/2024 – 11/24/2024)

Where: Online or in person at our café at 3448 Holly Springs Parkway Canton, GA 30115

Why: Helping our veterans overcome the consequences of mental health issues and homelessness

Cherokee County Homeless Veteran’s Program:

We decided to partner with the Cherokee County Homeless Veteran’s Program for a few reasons: Primarily, we wanted to work with a local nonprofit that would be involved in the process and would provide transparency on the allocation of raised funds. Executive Director and Arm Vet, Jim Lindenmeyer, visited us at our roastery and had direct input into the entire project. In addition to working with Jim, we felt drawn to work with CCHVP because:

• The funds will be used specifically to provide food, limited housing, clothing, and support in Veteran Affairs claims
• The state of Georgia ranks third in the country for the highest number of homeless veterans, there is an urgent local need
• Veterans are at 50% higher risk of taking their lives when compared to their non-serving peers
• More than 15,000 veterans call Cherokee County their home
• Registered 501c19 veteran nonprofit

To learn more about CCHVP, visit their website. 

Roast Story: 

Since we began this partnership 3 years ago, we have aimed to hit a consistent profile - an approachable dark roast with a nice touch of sweetness. This coffee is one that you can enjoy black, or loaded with cream and sugar. The recommended method of brewing would be with a french press: 

1. Measure out 60 grams of coffee (4 tbsp)
2. Pour the coffee grounds into the bottom of the empty French Press.
3. Pour 1 Liter of boiling water evenly over the coffee grounds and stir with a spoon to make sure there are no clumps of ground coffee
4. Place the French Press plunger on top of the French Press without plunging and let the coffee steep for 5 minutes
5. After 5 minutes you can choose to plunge the French Press but we recommend leaving the plunger on top of the French Press and not plunging. 
6. Get ready to be caffeinated!

While you enjoy this coffee, take time to reflect and remember the sacrifice made by so many veterans and first responders. The first year we did this partnership with CCHVP we raised $375, the second year we raised $675, this year let's set a new record.

Origin Story:

Finca Terrerito (Finca T) is our main Alma Family Farm in Honduras. Founded in the 1960s, this is where we do the bulk of processing and quality control on the coffee before it makes its way to us here in North Georgia.  Not only does most of our coffee come from Finca T but it is also where we house all our state-of-the-art equipment. From a water well that goes 400ft into the ground to ensure only the cleanest water for processing, all the way to wet processing, dry processing, and exporting. It all goes down at Finca T!  

Finca T was originally purchased in the 1960s by Al’s family, it was 200 acres of farmland and was named Finca Terrerito. Funny enough, the word Terrerito is not an actual word and our best guess is that when the land went to be registered they misspelled, the word Terrerito, which translates to “little piece of land” to Terrerito. In 2001, Al Lopez, a co-owner at Alma, purchased Finca T from his mother and begin planting some coffee trees while primarily using the land for cattle. By 2008, Al had dedicated his retirement to improving lives through Finca T in the small town from which he was born and raised. 

Today, we are very honored to have built the foundation to this business at Finca T! With only the best equipment and every single step of the process happening under our watchful eyes, we produce a quality of coffee that is truly extraordinary.