Welcome to another episode of The Roadmap. This ASBN-exclusive resource is dedicated to teaching CEOs, business leaders, and aspiring entrepreneurs how to monetize, expand, and scale their businesses. Today’s host, Lee Heisman, is joined by Harry and Leticia Hutchins, the owners of Alma Coffee.
In 2018, Leticia and Harry Hutchins founded Alma Coffee to promote direct trade coffee and make ethically sourced farm-to-cup coffee accessible to everyone. Alma Coffee is fully integrated from farm to truck.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Hutchins family is a group of full-time farmers serving as harvesters and importers/exporters. They roast and brew coffee straight from the seed and operate a full supply chain to ensure the highest quality coffee. Harry Hutchins explains, “We oversee the entire process to ensure the best possible results.”
2. In the United States, Alma Coffee has different business segments, such as roasting, brewing, business-to-business (B2B”, e-commerce, and its coffee shop, which allows consumers to witness the entire roasting process.
3. Alma is a veteran-owned business; therefore, they like to highlight their American craftsmanship. Hence, when you walk into their coffee shop, consumers can see the roasting and brewing process.
4. Alma originated in the mountains of Honduras, where Leticia was born into the industry. Alma means “Soul” in Spanish, reflecting the Hutchins’ passion for their outreach projects. For example, Alma recently partnered with the Matiak Foundation to build a school and clinic to educate and care for the El Calatato village, adjacent to their first farm.
5. Moving forward, the company plans to get through the holidays and then continue enhancing the farming community to support more people.
"We're so honored that when people go to get their morning coffee, they choose us." – Harry Hutchins
