Today we’d like to introduce you to John and Alejandra Hagedorn.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Our beginnings differ from many 3rd wave specialty coffee shops in the sense that most of those had a life-changing transformative experience at a coffee shop that inspires them to open a shop of their own and participates in this 3rd wave coffee movement. Our experience was different in the sense that we didn’t have our transformative cup of coffee until after our shop was already open! That experience drove us to rethink the way we wanted to present and curate the coffee we offer to our customers today.
It all started with a trip My wife Alejandra and I took to her native country of Colombia. During our visit, we were taken by my Father-in-law Enrique Reyes to a local coffee shop that absolutely blew my mind. It was very old-fashioned and rustic with colonial-style furniture it felt like we were transported to another time. This coffee shop also doubled as an art gallery with oil paintings covering every inch of wall space my father-in-law who is an artist had many of his pieces displayed there as well as other local artists. My wife and I discussed the idea of bringing a truly genuine Colombian style coffee shop to the St. Louis area and featuring artwork from my wife Alejandra who is also an artist as well as paintings from her father, with the rustic colonial vibe, ornate ceilings vinyl record player spinning old Latin music with a vintage lever action espresso machine. We wanted to bring the authentic experience we had in Colombia and bring it here.
So we made that dream reality in October of 2018 and really learned along the way and since having that mind-melting cup of coffee we discovered the incredible variability and nuance that existed in coffee.
Today we source in season high scoring specialty green coffee from our import partners. After a sample roast and tasting process, we make a decision on a green coffee lot to add to our coffee offerings list and that is where the fun really begins!!
After receiving a fresh lot of green coffee I run through several roast profiles with my small batch roaster until I reach an ideal roast profile which will become our standard production roast for that particular coffee. Sometimes this process is quick if I get lucky at the roaster while other coffees require more work on my part to find that perfect roast profile.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
We definitely experience ups and downs along the way. In the first year of being opened we were flooded 3 times due to being located in a flood zone. But we kept moving forward without a second thought. Then in 2020 COVID swept the world and brought with it unique challenges but amidst those obstacles, we launched our roasting operations and focused our attention on online sales as most people stayed home and ordered online during that time.
That said, The Eureka community has been incredibly supportive of us and what we are doing here. without the support of the community we wouldn’t be here now and not only did we survive covid but we were able to expand our operation and for that, we are incredibly grateful to the community
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
La Finca Coffee is first Colombian-style coffee shop in the St. Louis area. Here you can find traditional coffee drinks from Colombia, Mexico, and Italy. We source high-scoring specialty coffee from all over the world and expertly craft it to present a unique experience for every customer. We roast our coffee in-house and develop unique roast profiles for each new coffee we receive that truly separates us from the rest.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The coffee industry is a very large industry being as its the second-largest commodity on the planet. The shift will be getting coffee drinkers to make the switch from cheap coffee used to simply wake up in the morning to High scoring nuanced coffee and having a radically different experience and discovering the delightful flavors one can find in coffee that they didn’t know was possible. This shift has been happening with this 3rd wave movement and we are excited to see the growth going forward for us and everyone else in the industry.
Contact Info:
- Email: main@coffeelafinca.com
- Website: coffeelafinca.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeelafinca/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lafincacoffeeshop/
