Ecuador is quietly home to some of the finest coffee in the world. And it’s also, fortunately, hosting a thriving bar-coffee scene, growing year after year and offering a unique expression of Ecuadorian coffee culture. A thriving example of this can be found in the work of Nardelia Espinoza, an Ecuadorian business leader who is also the founder of Coffee Relief, a new coffee company based outside the capital of Quito. You’ll notice from the photos that Coffee Relief is also stunningly beautiful – an architectural marvel in the guise of a coffee bar. We just need to learn more.
Build-Outs of Coffee 2022 is presented by Dripos, Dona and Mill City Roasters. Build-Outs of Coffee 2022 is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, La Marzocco and Marco Beverage Systems.
For those who are not familiar, tell us about your company?
Coffee Relief is the opportunity in specialty coffee. A family business founded by the well-known Ecuadorian businesswoman Nardelia Espinoza. Sustainability and social responsibility are at the core of Coffee Relief’s DNA. One of the most sustainable coffee shops in the world. We’re all about specialty coffee. Coffee, roasting, coffee training center, coffee lab and specialist coffee consultants. We are located in Ecuador, a specialty coffee producing country.
Can you tell us a little about the new space?
Coffee Relief is located in the heart of the Tumbaco Valley in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, just 12 miles from the airport. The 200 square meter space with 120 square meters of green space aims to combine an industrial aesthetic with a minimalist design approach. Ecuadorian wood is the main element in various architectural features and furniture.
Coffee Relief’s new facility hosts a green coffee micro-lab, roastery, a barista workshop, an outdoor seating area, an indoor cafe and training center. The design of the new house was entrusted to AOS Studio. Angeles is the youngest sister and the founder of the design studio. The operation was carefully structured by engineer and baker Juan Pablo, the middle brother. Architect and professor Jose Coba at USFQ (Universidad San Francisco de Quito) assisted the project in shaping and portraying ideas in architectural features.
What is your approach to coffee?
Transparency, sustainability and social responsibility. Our approach to coffee is the same approach when we do business. As a coffee producing country, we are committed to the responsibility to improve the economy starting from our part. Every single action undoubtedly has an important consequence.
Lined up any machinery, coffee, special equipment?
La Marzocco Linea Mini special chrome edition, Victoria Arduino White Eagle, Nuova Simonelli Aurora II, two Mahkönig EK43 and Ailio Bullet R1V2 and 5k roaster.
How does your project consider sustainability?
Sustainability is in Coffee Relief’s DNA. Coffee Relief is an ecosystem of opportunities for all stakeholders within the specialty coffee market. Our goal is to become a Latin American business model within the specialty coffee industry by incorporating sustainability practices into all processes. From the design of the space to the deliveries, every single detail at Coffee Relief is curated with sustainability. Karolina, the older sister, is ready to achieve this goal.
When Coffee Relief was conceived, our main goal was to design and create a project focus on a life-supporting system able to minimize our carbon footprint. We involved the local community, our team, friends and family to achieve it. By July 2022 we have 13 specific sections that we are steadily developing. Our goal is to become fully sustainable and minimize our carbon footprint. 1. Design, 2. Coffee, 3. Roastery, 4. Menu, 5. Cas-caf, 6. Paperless filter coffee, 7. Bakery, 8. Water, 9. Local products, 10. Community, 11. Coffee supplies, 12. Waste management and zero waste, and 13. Shipments.
Design: Our project is partnered with brands whose sustainability and ethical values match ours.
We partner with Tala for most of our space lighting. Tala LED bulbs reduce energy consumption, using 90 percent less energy than equivalent incandescent bulbs and lasting 10 to 15 times longer before needing to be replaced
Manufactured by AOS: the product design arm of AOS. They connected Coffee Relief with the best artisans in Quito, who later built our infrastructure and design. In addition, working with them allowed us to support local communities and develop a cultural engagement.
Coffee: We have built strong relationships with coffee farmers who are part of our coffee family and have been a critical factor in our development. All of our coffee is sourced directly from Ecuadorian coffee producers within a fair trade approach.
Baking: Roasting is a crucial step in the specialty coffee process. Reducing our carbon footprint at every step of the supply and value chain is our commitment. We added a set of Aillio roasters to the Coffee Relief space under the direction of Juan Pablo, our middle brother and Master Roaster. This fully electric baking maximizes the efficiency of energy consumption and is combined with stability in the exchange of energy during baking. The result: baking curves are more accurate within the set parameters.
We have been able to encourage farmers to improve their harvesting process by showing them the impact of farm processes while roasting specialty coffee.
Menu: We designed our menu with Ecuadorian culture in mind, including local producers, seasonal fruits and local flora. Also, it contains Ecuadorian medicinal plants that contribute to our concept of wellness. We aim to create a new opportunity in the specialty world, taking the customer experience to the next level. Our new menu considers Pachamama (Earth) at its best. We have worked with Jazmin Bustos, an Ecuadorian barista with international recognition. Together we have created a menu that represents our culture and gastronomy that cannot be found anywhere else.
Case-Caf: Coffee Relief’s signature product is a carbonated drink made from the dried skins of coffee fruit or coffee cherries (*cascara). It offers a unique coffee tasting experience to consumers. This innovative creation takes a new direction in the specialty and is now changing the game in the coffee processing phase. We work with farm partners to select the right coffee varieties that develop the desired flavor of the drink and achieve the right degree of cherry fermentation. Consequently, the drink can provide beneficial probiotics and the right amount of caffeine for different customer profiles (from athletes to office workers).
Meanwhile, we are promoting a circular economy opportunity for coffee farm producers, resulting in economic growth. Cas-caf production is turning coffee production waste into an innovative beverage and increasing the income of the communities involved. In addition, the company designed an environmentally friendly glass bottle that allows customers to return and receive store credit, generating customer engagement and contributing to environmental benefits.
New experiences: Applying the Pure Over method, we are the first cafe in Latin America to serve 100% paperless coffee cups. The process highlights the extract of oils that are usually lost during paper filtration. Using a temperature-retaining borosilicate glass, the technique enhances our customers’ coffee experience. Additionally, we are encouraging our customers to try Pure Over by reducing the cost of filter coffee when you have it with Pure Over.
Bakery: We’re allied with local women entrepreneurs who source every day at Experience Bakery. Located five miles from Coffee Relief, Ke-deli, Panea and Cookieteria have significantly influenced the business, creating the best products in town. Together, we offer a variety of baked goods that take into account different dietary preferences, including Tres Leches Keto Milk Cake, Sourdough Focaccia, Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Honey Lavender Cookies.
Water is key to our business: We proudly say that we have zero plastic bottles on our street. Our produce comes directly from Agua San Felipe, a family-owned company that provides fresh water from the Andes. Their watershed is located in Cotopaxi (one of the highest mountains in the world).
Local products: Our entire menu uses local produce grown within seven miles. To ensure freshness and high quality drinks, we grow our own fruit in our orchard located in Tababela. We harvest organically grown oranges, lemons, tangerines and many other fruits to deliver the best flavor in our products.
Community: We want to empower other businesses to support the communities they work with. So for our team commitment, we have decided to partner with people living within four miles to promote economic and cultural improvement in the area.
Accessibility of coffee supplies: Despite Ecuador being a coffee producer, there was a lack of access to specialty coffee baristas and supplies. We partnered with well-known brands to offer kettles, roasters and brewing methods. We are working to make them accessible in the Ecuadorian and Latin American markets. We are working to introduce Pure Over, Brewista and Aillio to the local market.
Waste management and zero waste: We are significantly reducing our use of plastic. However, a local waste management service manages what little we produce. We partner with Marca Patito to distribute our coffee through a zero waste. We want to encourage packaging reduction and create awareness for other local businesses.
Delivery: With the aim of reducing our carbon footprint, we have partnered with Marca Patito to help us with our deliveries in a way where we consolidate the packages for a week and later they are delivered on a specific day taking into account the area where it is expected surrender. In this way we become more efficient and more environmentally friendly.
Are you working with artisans, architects and/or creatives you’d like to mention?
Carpenter: Milton Condo
Metal welder: Alfonso Quilo
Industrial designer: Raquel Espinoza
Creative Director and Designer: Ángeles Ortiz
Architect and Professor: José Coba
Industrial Engineer: Juan Pablo Ortiz
Builders: P. Coba U. Construcciones
We would also like to mention our amazing team: Paula, Caro, Majo, Dari and Kelly.
Thank you!
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