In 1996 Guadalupe started selling organic coffee from her old VW bug, carrying boxes of coffee beans she had brought from Oaxaca and Chiapas to her customers, including 100-kilo orders from large haciendas. One day, while attending a dance class on Calle 62, her little car was broken into and the entire coffee stock was stolen. Her dance schoolmates took up a collection and gave her enough money to start over.
Her customers were asking her for more and more organic products, so in 1999 she opened Café Orgánico, choosing the name very carefully…she wanted to establish the concept of “organic” in the minds of Mérida residents, for whom it was something new. It is still in the same location on Calle 33D just off Reforma, between Colón and Cupules, and its inviting ambience and excellent coffee have garnered many regular customers over the years. Whimsical wall murals, lots of potted plants, and tables on the terrace all add up to a place you want to return to, for coffee, hot chocolate, ice cream, brownies, and more…
Guadalupe, who has traveled to every corner of the Yucatán peninsula and speaks some Maya, has made it her business to be informed about organic solutions to just about everything. From natural solutions for getting rid of insects to giving advice on how to build a green wall around your property, she is a wealth of knowledge. She is happy to offer nutrition advice as well. Guadalupe is proud of the support her business gives to indigenous cooperatives and organic farmers. Her logo, a globe with a coffee plant growing out of it, contains the slogan “por una conciencia ecológica”, which means “for an ecological conscience”. She is proud of her role in bringing organic products to Mérida.
Café Orgánico carries certified organic Mexican coffee, which is not only consumed locally but exported to North America and Europe. There is tofu, pasta (including corn and rice pasta for those who are wheat intolerant), chocolate, organic mosquito repellant, Neem products, herbal teas, organic honeys, organic garden products, jams, and products for diabetics and those with high cholesterol. She also carries food supplements and vitamins.
Café Orgánico
Centro Comercial Colón
Calle 33D x Avenida Reforma, x Cupules y Colón
Tel. 925 2831
Mon.-Fri. 9 am – 7.30 pm
Sat. 9 am – 2.30 pm
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