From Across Mexico, Roasted Here in La Paz

Sometimes, the best things in life are found during the most unexpected detours. A chance encounter, a sudden inspiration, or even a little girl’s tumble can reroute an entire destiny. For the residents of La Paz, that’s precisely how we landed some of the best coffee on this side of the Baja, locally grown and roasted in-house.

I had the privilege of sitting down with Sergio and Gloria, the visionaries behind Gratitude Coffee Makers. For Sergio, who was born in Mexico City, the path to coffee mastery was anything but linear. Flying clearly being a common denominator from his past, he spent years performing and teaching as a circus instructor, flying trapeze, as well as being a flight attendant. 

“When I was 19, I worked as a flight attendant for five years. Travelling from Canada to Argentina, I realized that all these countries from Mexico to Brazil produce coffee. So, I got interested,” expressed Sergio, emphasizing that his grandma and other early childhood culinary influencers taught him to cook through taste rather than the reliance on recipes. This developed his sensitivity to flavors and nuances early on. 

Over these years, during his many travels across Latin America, Sergio visited coffee farms as a recreational activity, unaware of the central stage coffee would eventually play in his life. 

How does one go from catching flying humans to roasting coffee?

Fast-forwarding, a car accident, and a series of events eventually led him to work as a trapeze instructor in Cancun, which led to a ‘chance encounter’ with Gloria, who had just moved to Mexico from Argentina. “I remember how she smiled at me…”, recalls Sergio. Their connection was instant, and fourteen years later, they’re still a team.

Together, they navigated life as a couple and entrepreneurs between Mexico and Argentina until Sergio had a ‘sudden inspiration’ during a circus practice trip to California. It was during that visit that his friend Lindsey introduced him to the aromatic and intricate world of coffee roasting. “He offered me a cup of coffee, he timed his grind and set the water temperature. It was a scientific process. When I tried the first sip, it blew my mind,” Sergio recounts, who returned home with a new passion and burning desire to learn more.

Back in Argentina, he was fortunate to be hired as an apprentice coffee roaster at the Four Seasons hotel through one of Gloria’s connections. “I started geeking out on coffee science,” he laughs. “I started roasting, learning, taking notes, just being a student, checking on everything. And when my teacher had to go on vacation after a few months and asked if I could manage the production, I was ready!”

So, what’s the big deal with roasting coffee? According to Sergio, roasting coffee means taking the bean to its maximum caramelization point, and since the seed has different parts, a different temperature is required for each of them. Passion, patience, and dedication are the three main ingredients that Sergio humbly delivers in addition to his skills, which are lacking in standard coffee roasting facilities today. 

I’d like to assume that you won’t dare to put a nicely seasoned steak on a cold grill and wait for it to heat up and eventually cook. Can you imagine the texture, taste, and flavor? Similarly, your coffee will taste drastically different, depending on how it was roasted. Just like the framework of a recipe, coffee roasting can be curated to enhance and complement the characteristics of each variety.

The name Gratitude came to Gloria during the uncertainty of the pandemic. ‘Gratitude’ resonated as a reminder to be thankful for their health, their home, and their family amidst the global chaos. In addition, as Gloria identified, the word Gratitude finds its roots in Italian: Gratitudine, Spanish: Gratitud, French: Gratitude, and Portuguese: Gratidão, making it relatable to many.

Their entrepreneurial drive eventually led them to La Paz. Their initial plan was to live in Todos Santos, but in a moment that every parent can understand, their daughter, Mika, fell and hit her head. While this can be a normal part of growing up, it’s a little scarier for parents when the nearest hospital is over 30 minutes’ drive away. Mika’s little accident convinced Sergio and Gloria to settle in La Paz.

While they are an artisanal specialty coffee roaster company, supplying coffee to various hotels and restaurants around Baja, they inevitably became a local favorite coffee spot to hang out or work at, something they did not intend. In addition to their roasting business, they’ve opened their doors to other entrepreneurs, artists, nomads, and locals who enjoy great coffee with great company.  

Gratitude Coffee Makers deals directly with producers in Veracruz, Chiapas, and Oaxaca, and you can catch Sergio roasting his beans every Monday morning in-house. Sergio and Gloria have a special mission to keep high-quality Mexican-grown coffee in Mexico, to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, and you can visit them at their store in La Paz, Monday to Friday, open until 2 p.m. 

My personal favorite is the espresso Coffee Tonic, which comes with a piece of orange peel that adds just the right amount of citrus. As for Sergio, he loves to play with pour-overs, experimenting with different notes, methods, and beans, and as for Gloria, she favors the “cowbrown,” which is a recipe she created using their cold brew with milk.

For more on my work: www.naailahauladin.com or reach me on WhatsApp at: +52 612 141 8002

Naailah Auladin is a life and relationship doula in La Paz, specializing in guiding individuals and families during periods of emotional trauma, crisis, and mental unrest. She focuses on teaching and inspiring individuals to take responsibility and ownership in participating in their civic duties, focusing on the well-being of the self-first, as she believes that fostering and maintaining well-managed emotional, mental, and physical health is our first civic duty.

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Naailah Auladin
Naailah is a life and relationship doula based in La Paz. She guides individuals and families through emotional crises, emphasizing well-being as the foundation for personal and civic responsibility.
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