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Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/131835
The naturally processed Maragogipe from a tiny Colombian farm called Finca El Boton, for instance, costs $5.50 for each pour-over cup. Folks, however, line up to pay up. "People stand there like expectant parents, keeping an eye on it as we pour," Johnson says. "They know which one is theirs. It's part of their morning ritual now." The majority of the coffees served in the shop come from the cluster of farms Garces works with in and around Colombia's Antioquia region. One of the featured fincas, in fact, is La Eternidad, which was the first plantation Garces' father started back in the 1950s and inspired the name of the Miami business. The blackboard at Eternity each day features a half-dozen or so coffees—a few are from non-Colombia origins—and the menu rotates based on seasonality. "People pick out their favorite and keep coming back," Johnson says. The only downside comes when a bean runs out. "People's worlds come crashing down," Johnson says, laughing, "and we have to push them toward something else." T he next step for Eternity? Moving more broadly into wholesale. Johnson estimates he roasted about 10,000 pounds a year ago, and he's expecting that number to increase as he spends more time getting his roasts into small local cafés and onto the shelves of higher-end grocers (he currently has hopes for a deal with Whole Foods). The brand seems well-positioned to continue to gain traction in an area of the country that's heavy in transplants and higher income levels but short on quality-coffee options. Interestingly, the timing of Eternity's development has paralleled that of Panther Coffee, another Miami roaster-retailer with thirdwave-type ideals and West Coast connections. (Panther owner Joel Pollock came from the Portland coffee scene.) Eternity and Panther are located several miles apart, and the fact they are both grabbing attention is indication that the coffee winds may be beginning to shift along South Beach. "There is a lot of room here," Johnson says. "Not a day goes by that someone doesn't say, 'Oh, you should open up in South Miami or North Miami Beach.' The more coffee culture we create here, the better it will be for everybody." Long-term, Johnson thinks he can spread that culture by opening a handful of retail outlets and keeping the brand centered on South Florida. "We'd like to get over to Naples and Fort Lauderdale," he says. "If people in Fort Lauderdale are having a great coffee with pour-over, then when they come to Miami they'll be looking for that here. It raises the whole bar." And along the way, the growers back in Colombia will get their fair share of recognition. "I started this because I wanted to open up the whole transparency of coffee," says Johnson. "These are farms producing only 70 or 80 bags, and we're lucky to get five. … I just thought that if we could show people that and let them taste the difference, that would set us apart." Fresh Cup Magazine • freshcup.com 65