Finding Our Way to Mexico: Coffee, Community, and a Cup of Excellence

It took us longer than I'd like to admit to finally make it to Mexico on a proper sourcing trip.

For years, we've been buying and deeply believing in Mexican coffee. It's an origin that has quietly, steadily come into its own in the specialty world — and this year, we're releasing two unique and special Mexican coffees that I think reflect exactly why. But actually getting there has been its own journey. Our last attempt, back in March of 2022, ended with four unexpected days stranded in Mexico City thanks to Covid — which, honestly, turned into one of my favorite travel memories and left me with a deep affection for that city. But a sourcing trip it was not.

So last October, I finally did it. I booked the flights, packed a bag, and took off on my first solo coffee sourcing adventure in many, many years. Destination: Mexico. And what unfolded over the next week was incredible to say the least.

Part One: San Cristóbal de las Casas and the Women-Powered Coffee Summit

The first half of the trip wasn't sourcing at all — it was something richer. I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Women-Powered Coffee Summit, hosted by Bean Voyage and held in the absolutely charming colonial city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

I didn't fully know what to expect walking in. What I found was a gathering of some of the most inspiring people in coffee — producers, roasters, importers, and advocates — from across the globe, all connected by a shared commitment to elevating women throughout the coffee supply chain.

Over three days, I listened to stories of women overcoming extraordinary hardship to build thriving coffee businesses. I heard fresh perspectives on where specialty coffee is headed and honest conversations about the unique challenges women still face in this industry. It was the kind of room that reminds you why this work matters.

I also made some incredible connections. I met Vava from Kenya and Nico from Uganda — two remarkable women whose stories I can't wait to share with you in a future post  (and more tasty new coffees - stay tuned for those). And in a funny twist, I traveled all the way to southern Mexico only to finally meet a fellow roaster from right in my backyard in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Sometimes the world works that way.

I left San Cristóbal genuinely fueled — ready for the second half of the trip.

Part Two: When Plans Change (and the Rain Has Other Ideas)

Here's the thing about October in Chiapas: it is rainy season, and this particular year did not hold back.

Our original plan was to visit Finca Santa Cruz — a farm we'd been excited about for the sourcing side of this trip. But the rains had been relentless, and the roads to the farms were simply not safe. Mudslides had made travel out to that region was too dangerous to attempt. It was disappointing in the moment, but nature has a way of redirecting you somewhere you were supposed to go.

We rerouted to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas — and that's where I met Karina and Pepe.

A Marathon Day in Tuxtla

Karina and her brother Pepe come from a coffee farming family. Over the past several years, they've stepped into running the business alongside their parents — and they haven't done it quietly. They've pushed hard into innovation, experimented with processing, earned a world-class reputation, and collected awards along the way to prove it.

Our day together started the way all great coffee days should: with an incredible Mexican breakfast at a café that roasts their coffee.

Then Karina and Pepe took us to explore their corner of the world — the breathtaking Cañón del Sumidero National Park, where dramatic canyon walls rise above a winding river and remind you that Chiapas is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

But the real magic happened that evening, back at their coffee lab in Tuxtla.

We spent hours cupping through their coffees — tasting through a lineup that showed the full range of what they're doing. Bright, nuanced, complex coffees that reflected years of care and experimentation. And then we got to the one that stopped me: their Cup of Excellence winning coffee. That's the one we've brought home to share with you at Treeline.

The Coffee: What It Tastes Like, and Why It's Special

I want to be honest with you about something, because I think it makes Finca Santa Cruz more interesting, not less.

Some coffees we bring you at Treeline are loud. Fruit-forward, immediately expressive — the kind of cup that announces itself. This coffee is not that. Its quality shows up in subtlety. It's floral and delicate, with light chocolate notes and a refinement that rewards a slow, attentive cup. It tasted absolutely stunning in Mexico — and here in Montana, it's showing up a little differently, as coffees often do when they travel across altitudes and climates. That's just the honest reality of coffee.

But here's what hasn't changed: it is a genuinely special coffee, made by genuinely special people. When you taste it, you're tasting years of a family's dedication, a sibling partnership pushing an old tradition into something new, and a Cup of Excellence — one of the most rigorous coffee competitions in the world — that agreed.

We're proud to share Karina and Pepe's story with you and if you want to try their coffee, grab some here while it lasts- enjoy!

This is the first of two special Mexican coffees we're releasing this year. Stay tuned for the next one — and for future stories from the Women-Powered Coffee Summit, including Vava from Kenya and Nico from Uganda.

- Natalie