Café Zihuatlan – Zihuatanejo’s award-winning organic coffee.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
But Juanita is furious. Someone in town is trying to take advantage of the recent popularity of Juanita’s certified organic coffee and has the nerve to copy not only her packaging but also her registered trademark, “Café Zihuatlan,” almost to the letter.
She is right to be upset. The Café Zihuatlan Growers’ Co-op, to which she and her husband Dario belong, has worked hard for decades in order to survive. Following the catastrophic collapse of coffee prices on the world commodity markets in the early 90s, Juanita and Dario convinced their fellow growers that the only way to survive for them meant that they had to place their coffee in a distinct category and become certified organic growers. It has been an uphill battle, but their efforts are beginning to pay off. Last year, the Palomar Hotel in San Francisco, flagship luxury property of the Kimpton Hotel Group, decided to serve exclusively Café Zihuatlan’s organically grown coffee and helped facilitate the importation of 20 tons of Café Zihuatlan’s beans through San Rafael-based specialty roaster, Equator Coffees. The coffee has been getting rave reviews from the hotel’s clients.
Only locally, it seems, the word has still not spread.
“Don Cesar, Dario’s father, founded the coffee growers’ colony in the mountains of Zihuatanejo in the fifties,” Juanita says. “Can you believe that most people in Zihuatanejo still do not know we even exist?!” Only a handful of hotels in Zihuatanejo – the Club Intrawest, Villas Mexicanas and La Quinta Troppo – are buying Juanita’s superb beans at this time; none, so far, in Ixtapa. “The Hotel Las Brisas in Ixtapa has expressed some interest recently,” Juanita mentions. “They had no idea there were coffee plantations in Zihuatanejo, let alone certified organic ones!”
Things may be about to change though.
For years, Juanita sold her beans and served her coffee in a tiny, unassuming locale a little too far off the beaten tourist track. To hide the rather less than polished looking neighborhood from her customer’s view, she placed huge potted palms in front of her café. As a result, only “insiders” found her. Three months ago, she decided to open a second locale in a small tree-shaded pedestrian alley. The move has proven to be excellent, and the new coffee bar has already attracted a loyal following even among the locals.
“We are trying to really emphasize the organic and ecological aspect of our business,” Juanita says. The coffee bar’s décor tries to reflect this by featuring table and bar countertops encrusted with colorful shards from recycled glass bottles and a “crystal” chandelier made with recycled glass coke bottles. Coconuts are turned into small pendant lamps, and old coffee bags serve as “wall paper” on one wall. A life-size driftwood “tree” in the entrance displays jewelry made with natural coffee beans. The colors used on the floor and walls – a vibrant red like ripe coffee berries, a rich dark espresso brown and a soft cream – contrast nicely with the sleek chrome furniture and stainless steel appliances.
Juanita and Dario are also exploring new production and processing methods in order to improve their coffee’s quality even more. “We have just joined the Specialty Coffee Association and plan to focus on selling more specialty coffee. For example, through a very special selection and quality control process we found out – to our own surprise! – that the individual lots produced by our different growers present very distinct flavor and aroma attributes. Some of them have very distinct notes of spice or caramel, others of nuts, and our own coffee actually smells like chocolate!”
The aroma of Juanita’s “special selection natural gold” beans is indeed amazing. But she is not about to rest on her laurels just yet. During the tourist high season, she plans to offer totally organic breakfasts consisting of organic milk, cheese and eggs produced by some of the other growers in the mountains, organic fruit, and her own organic wild honey. During a recent trip to Chiapas, she discovered a source for organic cocoa and some special organic oatmeal, corn, and cocoa-based drinks. She has long dreamed about making her own organic chocolate truffles using the traditional recipes and methods handed down to her by her mother and some dear friends and neighbors from the mountains. If her fellow growers get truly motivated, she would like to eventually start a small organic farmers’ market.
Juanita’s eyes are sparkling as she excitedly spells out all of those new ideas. “I feel very happy,” she says, “because I think we will be able to survive after all. Many growers were getting so desperate that they were ready to abandon their plantations. But now, with the new interest in everything organic, I think there is new hope.”
It is almost midnight now and Juanita is getting ready to close. A few guests are still lingering at the tables outside, and the town is getting quiet. “Yes, this place is great because there are no cars going by…,” Juanita has barely finished her sentence as a stereo starts piping up with loud Mexican music. People look startled – it seems to be coming closer down the pedestrian alley! Finally, a bicycle goes by with a huge boom box strapped on the back. Everybody is laughing. “Typical Zihuatanejo,” Juanita says, giggling so hard she is almost crying. “There is only one Zihuatanejo, just like there is only one Café Zihuatlan. — With a “Z”!”
Café Zihuatanejo’s new coffee bar is located in the pedestrian alley Hermenegildo Galeana, between Nicolas Bravo and Ejido streets.
Open every day from 8:00am to midnight.
