A new cafe opening Thursday inside Costa Mesa’s Mercado González is putting Mexican-grown coffee front and center, roasting single-origin beans on-site and inviting customers to taste the difference between farms hundreds of miles apart. Casa Libre, set to open its doors on September 24, includes a roastery and bean market where shoppers can watch beans roasted before they’re packed, learn about individual coffee regions and producers, and sample varying flavor profiles side by side.
The concept comes from cofounders Jeremy Creighton and Natalie Taormina, according to the Orange County Register. Creighton, who was connected to Newport Beach’s Freelance Coffee Project and Common Room Roasters after relocating from Melbourne, Australia, said in a written release, “Mexico is literally our neighbor, and its coffee deserves a place in the spotlight.” When their Newport Beach shop first opened, Greer’s OC described Freelance Coffee Project as the pair’s second business, alongside their creative branding agency.
Taormina, the other Casa Libre cofounder, said Mexican coffee is not one single flavor or experience, per the Register’s report. That philosophy shows up directly on the menu: customers can compare coffees from Chiapas and Veracruz, including beans from Doña Duglas Molina and her family at El Cielo Farm in Villa Corzo, Chiapas, which carry notes of chocolate, red plum and honeydew melon. Casa Libre will also offer coffee from small farms near Motozintla, Chiapas, close to the Guatemalan border, and from growers in Huatusco, Veracruz.
Where the Beans Come From
Mexico is home to more than 500,000 coffee farmers spread across 15 states, and most of those farmers tend plots smaller than three hectares, or about 7.4 acres, according to the seed article’s reporting. Chiapas and Veracruz alone produce over 60 percent of the country’s total coffee crop, with Chiapas accounting for roughly 37 percent and Veracruz about 24 percent, according to USDA Foreign Agricultural Service data. For the 2026/27 marketing year, the agency forecasts Mexico’s total coffee production at 4.14 million 60-kilogram bags, with arabica making up 85 percent of national output…