By Noreen L Kompanik
You can’t go anywhere in Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico, without recognizing the flagship coffee company’s colorful blue-bag label with Baja’s most photographed landmark, El Arco. The Arch, as it’s referred to in English, is the demarcation line between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean, located at the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula. On this year’s visit to Cabo, my husband and I were determined to find out what makes this coffee company so popular.
Cabo Coffee is located downtown just a few blocks from the Marina District. The neighborhood coffee shop has a warm welcoming feel and its patrons are a mix of locals, American and Canadian expats, and new and returning visitors. Some stop in for their favorite java, some stay longer utilizing the free Wi-Fi or catching up on the daily news in the library area of the café. What stands out is the cheerful, familiar banter among its many patrons.
Sue McGovern Downward is the owner/manager of Cabo Coffee. Originally from San Francisco, Sue came to Cabo 21 years ago from Santa Cruz with her husband who’s in real estate, construction, and property management. As vice president of operations for a chain of fabric stores, she seemed to know it was the right time to pull the plug and opt for a simpler, less stressful life in Baja. “But, I just couldn’t get good coffee down here at the time,” said Sue. “I had to bring my own coffee back with me each time I’d go back home for a visit.” That problem went away in 2006.
Cabo Coffee Company was originally started by two gentlemen in 2003. Sue had an opportunity to buy the company in 2006, and the rest of the story is one of sweet success. Having a background in management, Sue knew well the adage that “when you take care of people, they take care of you”.
The first step was finding a good coffee source. Since coffee isn’t grown in the Baja Peninsula, the beans would have to be imported. Sue knew full well that great coffee starts with a quality coffee bean. With plenty of research, travel, and a steadfast determination to use only Mexican products, Sue found a small coffee plantation in Oaxaca, located high in the Sierra Madre Mountains of southwestern Mexico.
Alejandro, the coffee farm’s owner has been growing coffee there for over 80 years. His organic coffee beans are hand-picked and then shipped to Cabo Coffee. Beans are roasted daily to ensure ultimate freshness. In 2006, Sue started with a small roaster which she still uses, but eventually moved to a 25-kilo Mexican-made roaster to keep up with wholesale demands. She laughingly relayed the story of when the new roaster arrived from Veracruz, they wondered how they’d ever get the roaster off the flatbed truck. It took a rented forklift and the roaster was successfully moved.
Cabo Coffee’s menu, though not extensive is rich in classic choices and patrons definitely have their favorites. Hot stuff selections include café americano, café latte, espresso, and cappuccino. Dark roasted beans, rich with smoky flavor and a smooth finish makes the perfect espresso. Medium roasts are full-bodied with a distinctive nutty-like flavor. We chose a latte and a cappuccino to try. Both were wonderfully smooth, deep-flavored and finished with the friendly baristas’ creative artwork.
A local insider joke regarding decaf is that though it’s available, signs in the shop declare “Death before Decaf”. But the local patrons also promise that Cabo Coffee Company’s decaf is “The best. Ever.”
Due to Cabo’s warm weather, the Cold Stuff brews are immensely popular with blended frappe choices like caramel, mocha, chocolate mint, and Heath mocha (yes, like the Heath candy bar). Locally-made pastries are available for purchase and sell out quickly especially during breakfast hours, including Sue’s own homemade coffee cake. Another immensely popular item is the Café’s Mexican ice cream, offered in twelve mouthwatering flavors and of no surprise, made by a local Cabo woman.
Despite the tremendous success of the café and its far-reaching wholesale business, you might expect a tad more corporate feel to the company. A myriad of Cabo San Lucas and area resorts, restaurants, grocery stores and even two local Walmart stores all carry Cabo Coffee products. And the company has seen its biggest year ever in 2016. Yet, Sue maintains their secret to success is Cabo Coffee’s local, neighborly focus stating,“Our Mom and Pop-type business does well because we treat the locals well. They’re the ones who sustain us.” Three of Sue’s five baristas have been with the company for 10 years. According to Sue – and readily apparent to us, it’s because they are treated like family. And that breeds a whole lot of loyalty.
A fascinating story she relates with a sense of pride accompanied by a big smile is about Category-2 Hurricane Newton which hit Cabo San Lucas during the night this past September. Cabo Coffee typically opens at 6 a.m. Though power all over the city was lost and almost all businesses around Cabo remained closed, a backup generator enabled the company to open its doors by 8:30 a.m. that morning. All employees made it to work and the café’s sales that day were a record high. Patrons stood in long lines outside the coffee house waiting for their favorite java. And over 400 people were happy to have gotten their desperately needed coffee fix that day.
“Kindness is like coffee,” says an unknown author. “It awakens your spirit and improves your day. Fill your cup with both.” At Cabo Coffee Company, there’s a whole lot of kindness going around, in a warm, inviting place to socialize with some incredible Mexican coffees.
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