Mariposa Coffee Roastery

Why Mariposa?

Mariposa is the Spanish word for butterfly, and coffee resembles a butterfly’s metamorphosis. Before a butterfly is formed, it must go through an initial unpleasant-caterpillar form before becoming an extraordinarily beautiful creature. When harvested, coffee is in its ‘unpleasant’ form: dry, green, and rather difficult to consume. After roasting, the coffee itself undergoes multiple stages of transformation to become a delicious product. Coffee, like the mariposa is found all over the world, and was once only consumed by the privileged. We love coffee, are passionate about producing high quality coffee for everyone, and committed to social justice. The Spanish world, mariposa, was chosen to represent the fact that coffee is a global product. Mariposa symbolizes our hope that our coffee can have a global impact.

Coffee. Passion. Justice.

We love coffee. We are passionate. We are committed to social justice. These are the three things we hope Mariposa Coffee Roastery brings to mind. We love everything about coffee; the roasting, the brewing, and the taste. It is due to our love for coffee that we are passionate about producing quality coffee for you. We believe that everyone deserves a tasty cup of joe.

Our team is passionate about creating a positive coffee experience for all. In other words, we are passionate about seeing you love coffee as much as we do. As a result, we also have tremendous energy for learning about the origins of our beans. This includes: the harvesting, the distribution, and whether the farmers handling the beans are treated justly. It is our desire to bring you the best coffee, to share with you the things we learn, and to invite you to partner with us in our commitment to social justice.

The Mariposa Coffee team is committed to social justice. We are committed to providing you with beans that have been harvested and traded with integrity, furthermore, rest assured knowing that your coffee also comes in a biodegradable bag. Our passion for learning coupled with our commitment to social justice have driven us to establish ourselves as a socially conscious business. We give at least 15% of every sale to a social justice organization and intend to increase that percentage as we grow. So at least 15% of what you pay for your coffee is going to an organization committed to social justice. Better yet, you partner with us in our cause each time you choose Mariposa Coffee.

Our donations philosophy simply boils down to three primary things. First, we look for organizations that maximize how much is being giving to the people and not merely to administrative costs.^* Second, we believe in the importance of supporting our local economy. Third, we find global needs important and do not want to limit the scope of who we support. In short, your local purchase will have a global impact.

Image courtesy of Partners in Health. Used with permission.

^*While we do value the need to directly support an organization’s administration, we also think it’s important that your money goes specifically toward a specific purpose. This enables you, the donor know exactly where your money is going. This includes but is not limited to: purchase of clean water, vitamins, bed nets, medicine, and education. For example, earlier this year during the aftermath of the earthquakes in Haiti, we gave our money to World Neighbors Haiti’s Fund and Partners in Health. World Neighbors enables the donor to select the purpose for which they are donating and guarantee to source money there. Partners in Health guarantees 96 cents of every dollar donated directly reaches the people.