Paloma and Marco, a Spanish woman and an Italian man who met in London and decided to change their lives dedicated to physiotherapy and the financial world for coffee beans. How did specialty coffee come into your lives?
For us, specialty coffee has been a journey, an intense journey, and we mean that in the most literal sense, because it was a journey that made us stop, reflect, and look at things from a new perspective, ultimately leading us, as you said, to leave our "previous lives" behind and devote ourselves to something that moves our hearts and senses.
The journey
What did that trip mean to you?
Traveling has a soothing power, we believe, and if you also keep an open mind, it can change your perspective on life. In our case, we spent 12 months traveling, first in Southeast Asia and later in the United States, Mexico, and Cuba.
We were very fortunate to meet people along the way who shared their love for this incredible world with us, including Michael and Cana from the NGO Filanthrope, whom we met in Vietnam. After collaborating with some of the best roasters in the United States, they now lead a magnificent cause in Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, supporting the development of local coffee farmers.
A dinner and a few beers led to us inviting them to come back to our home here in Spain and start creating together, as a team, what is now Puchero.
This is your fifth anniversary as one of the most established specialty coffee roasters in Spain. How would you sum up your journey so far?
We are delighted not only by the warm welcome we have received, but also by the wonderful moment that specialty coffee is experiencing in our country despite everything.
If today we are, as you say, among "the greats," it is because, when we were smaller, we were clear that we wanted to do things right, with hard work, continuous and exhaustive quality controls, and a philosophy of continuous improvement.
We are proud to be growing alongside our team, roasting great coffees, creating chocolate using the same artisanal process, and supporting local cafés in bringing their ideas and projects to fruition.
In quarantine
A fifth anniversary that coincides with a "tough" year for the sector. How have you experienced all this as a roaster?
We won't deny it, it's been very tough. It's put us on the ropes after an excellent year and some very promising months.
We decided to focus on developing strategies for customers who enjoy coffee and chocolate at home, and fortunately, the response was very positive. We owe a lot to all those fans who use our products at home.
However, our biggest consumers are our partners, local coffee shops that have gone through very difficult times. This always affects both ends of the chain: if our coffee shops are empty, if there are no customers to drink our coffee, we all lose out.
And speaking of those customers, the specialty coffee shops we mentioned, what are your impressions of them? How do you see the sector developing in the future?
We have a very close relationship with all our partners, and we took advantage of the quarantine to chat with all of them to find out "how things were going for them," and their messages were disheartening.
Unfortunately, some highly talented coffee professionals have had to say "goodbye" or "see you soon" to wonderful projects.
We firmly believe in "resilience" and know that specialty coffee is and will continue to be a booming sector: consumers know that the world of "specialty" is a path of no return. We may have less money in our pockets, but we spend it with greater awareness of what we consume. That can't be a bad thing.
And this month you launched a support plan for cafés. How did this idea come about? What message would you send to those cafés that are currently struggling?
We couldn't stop thinking about how we could do our bit to help with all this, and although everything seemed insufficient or minor, we believed it was necessary to do something.
Those who know us know that we have never launched offers or discount campaigns; it is simply a strategy that does not identify with us. We do things right, we offer quality, and that will always be our hallmark. However, this was the time to pitch in.
We have reduced our profit margins like never before, committed to offering deferred payment options, and reduced our shipping costs as much as possible. We humbly hope that this will help.
In the future
Your coffees are increasingly valued among professionals in the sector. How do you see Puchero the future?
We see it exactly as it is, but a little bit bigger.
Things done well, more coffee, much more chocolate (which is the newcomer and the one we want to see continue to grow), and continuing to welcome everyone who comes to visit our new café here, surrounded by pine trees, with delicious treats.
Who knows, maybe soon we'll leave our pine forests and take over the city, but that's another story (laughs).
Thank you very much, everyone! And enjoy your stay.