Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/853621
RD: What was your first coffee job? AL Once I finished gastronomy school, I offered to help Salvador at his café with the menu and food part. It was supposed to be a fairly short- term assignment, in which I would help him manage the food, and he would, in exchange, teach me about coffee. Well, I'm still there. I remember when Passmar used to do a series of events for a Mexican airline that no longer exists. This was a very big activity, and it was promoted in hotels. Salvador started to put me in charge, and I loved it. That was when I simply became part of the business of Passmar. RD: How did you and Chava first meet? AL: Our moms worked together at the hospital, but Chava and I didn't know each other. At one point, my sister was looking for a student job, and when our moms were talking, my mom mentioned that my sister was looking for a job. She ended up working at Passmar. At that time, I was making food and selling it in school, tamales and things. My sister loved the professionalism of Passmar, and told me to come see it for myself. So one day I did, and I met Chava. A month later, we were together. He supported me completely when I was in gastronomy school, and afterwards, he let me try my way around the café. I think it's wonderful how we have progressed and grown together. To this day, my sister still works at Passmar, though in a different area of the business. RD: What is the story of Café Passmar? AL: Salvador's parents started Passmar in 1984 with the intention of having a roastery only. This was while Chava was still in school. When Salvador started getting involved, he always envisioned a café to actually make the coffee better and serve it well. We prefer to have slow-but-steady growth at our cafés. The name Passmar comes from the family names: P for Patricia, Salvador's sister; A for Alelí; S for Salvador senior, Chava's dad; S for Salvador junior; and MAR for Marta, Salvador's mom. [Editor's note: When Chava's parents opened Café Passmar in 1984, the "PA" stood for Chava's sister, Patricia. After Alelí and Chava were married, however, the family changed the meaning, and now the first "A" stands for Alelí, and the "P" alone stands for Patricia.] We roast around 1,069 kilos per week, and we have around 50 wholesale customers, some of which are big and some of which are very small. We are very selective about customers sharing our vision, and actually caring for the coffee and quality. We are also very committed to hiring and training young people who are studying and working to pay for their studies, so that we can help others who are in the same position we used to be in. Regardless of whether baristas have an interest in competing, they are always trained by Chava and me. This makes it so much better, and makes them better, because if they do decide to compete, everything is less rehearsed, more natural, and what they would do anyway. We absolutely encourage and support our baristas if they want to compete, and in everything else, too—if they want to move on and open their own shops, we will support them. RD: In the years you have been working in coffee, how have you seen the culture change in Mexico City and the country in general? How much of it has to do with barista competitions? AL: In Mexico it's very normal to see, for example, a bookstore open on a street, and suddenly there are five more bookstores on the same street. Those types of businesses open and close quickly. However, with coffee shops it's different. The coffee shops opened by barista competitors do well—they each have their own stamp and personality, unlike big franchises. That is what has allowed them to prosper. The industry and culture of specialty coffee has evolved so much that now it is inspiring producers to be more committed to selling better coffee locally. [Editor's note: Traditionally, coffee-producing countries such as Mexico shipped all their best coffees to consuming countries where they could fetch a high price. The leftovers, i.e. the stuff producers couldn't sell, was what the locals drank. Now, Alelí says, this is changing in Mexico.] Producers are aiming to have better-quality coffee to sell in Mexico now that they know they have customers who will not only appreciate it, but expect it. Commitment throughout the coffee chain is the best proof of growth. At le , Alelí and her husband, business partner, and fellow former Mexican Barista Champion, Salvador "Chava" Benitez, delight in their one-year-old daughter. At right, Alelí works in one of Café Passmar's three shops. She and Chava personally train every barista in their employ. 62 barista magazine