Neighborhood Joe: Mostra Coffee in Carmel Mountain Ranch
Mostra, one of the most innovative coffee houses in San Diego County can be found tucked in the suburban heart of Caramel Mountain Ranch.
Mostra Coffee in Carmel Mountain Ranch Named 2020 Micro Roaster of the Year
The Carmel Mountain Ranch roaster earned craft coffee’s top honor, bringing it back to San Diego County for the first time since 2012
Roast Magazine has officially named Rancho Bernardo’s Mostra Coffee “Micro Roaster of the Year” for 2020.
The Roaster of the Year award launched in 2005 and split into “Macro” and “Micro” categories in 2007. (They define Macro roasters as companies roasting more than 100,000 pounds annually and Micro roasters as those who roast less than 100,000 pounds annually.) Applicants for the coveted title pour in from all over North America and are chosen based on criteria including company mission, commitment to sustainable practices, quality of coffee, innovations in roasting, and more.
A team of expert judges narrows the applications down to three finalists, which then submit three different one-pound samples of roasted coffee to be cupped and scored by a professional coffee cupper. Each cup is blind judged on aroma, color, imperfections, bean size and a clean cup. The winner with the highest combined written and cupping score is named Roaster of the Year.
“Winning puts you on the map,” said Jelynn Malone, co-founder of Mostra. Previous winners include big names such as Intelligentsia, Portola Coffee Lab, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
This is the second time a San Diego-based roaster has earned the accolade. In 2012, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in La Jolla clinched the title, and Mostra was also named a finalist in the 2019 competition.
“It's huge to be able to bring back that award to San Diego, especially with the craft coffee culture really booming in this city,” said Malone. “It’s just amazing to be recognized for the things that we’ve worked tirelessly for… [and] humbling to be recognized against all these other incredible companies that are also doing amazing work.”
Mostra Coffee was founded in 2013 by Filipino-Americans Beverly Magtanong, Jelynn Sophia Malone, Mike Arquines, Sam Magtanong, and RJ Ocubillo with the initial goal of working to eradicate poverty in the Philippines by investing in the agricultural side of coffee and creating jobs in the United States.
Mostra started in Magtanong's garage with just four bags of green beans and a one-pound roaster. It has since expanded to an annual roasting output of 65,000 pounds using beans sourced from all over the world, though their primary goal remains dedicated to promoting the Filipino coffee industry.
The name itself means “show, performance, or exhibition,” according to Malone. “We want to be able to create an experience for people through our coffee.” Malone explained. This desire to demystify the craft coffee experience is ingrained in every aspect of Mostra’s philosophy, from their Instagram-worthy lattes to building a low-slung bar and under-counter Mavam espresso machine so guests can watch the entire process.
The team took their first origin trip to source coffee from the Philippines in 2015, a second in February of this year, and another is planned for 2020. During the 2019 trip, they brought along filmmaker Steve Cachero to capture the Mostra team in action. The final result, titled “Mostra Coffee Origins: Our Philippine Journey Back Home Vol. 1”, is a short film that Malone says is not just about a coffee origin trip. “It is about a trip back to origin and to the land where we all came from."
“We put a lot of time, work, and detail into our mission and vision for the company, trying to build community and collaboration,” said Malone. “It’s a huge thing that we encourage our staff and we hope our company exudes to the public.”
Mostra’s collaborative spirit isn’t just a state of mind. Malone estimates they’ve participated in over 600 collaborations with craft breweries all over the country. Their annual anniversary party is often mistakenly referred to as “Mostra’s Beer Festival” due to so many breweries participating and bringing hard-to-find beer.
Malone laughs in disbelief at the lengths she’s seen people go to in order to secure tickets. Last year, all 700 tickets sold out online within one minute, and she even saw a line—“Indiana Jones at Disneyland-status”—snaking around the building for a chance to buy tickets in-person. The sixth anniversary party will take place on January 11, 2020 with a prestigious list of attending breweries already announced.
“It really is the biggest party of the year,” she laughed.
Malone hopes more consumers continue to increase their knowledge of where their coffee comes from and appreciating the craftsmanship it requires.
“This award allows us to create a platform for specialty coffee from the Philippines,” says Malone explained. “I think people are finally gaining an awareness of where their stuff comes from, like farm to table. On the farming side, it’s being conscientious of sourcing. On the flavor side, [people are] gaining an awareness of the complexity of coffee and what the experience of coffee could truly be. I think that’s the future of coffee.”
Mostra will be adding a new location in 4S Ranch, but the small roastery isn’t stopping there. Since 2018, Mostra has worked with Palomar College in their small business entrepreneurship track in order to develop careers in coffee.
“It’s only the beginning stages of a bigger plan. It’s an educational program that focuses on everything from farming to agriculture to manufacturing and retail, coffee grading, coffee sourcing, buying—all of that,” explaines Malone.
She says they’re even planning on planting coffee trees to teach the agricultural side of cultivation. “It aligns with our original goal: creating jobs and opportunity for people.”
12045 Carmel Mountain Rd #302
San Diego, CA 92128
Hours: Monday to Saturday 6am–5pm; Sunday, 7am–5pm
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