From Puerto Rico to Your Cup: The Journey of 787 Coffee Beans
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Hello Beautiful Caffeinated Humans!
Every great cup of coffee starts with a story, and ours begins in the mountains of Maricao, Puerto Rico. What started as a promise to our Puerto Rican community has grown into a movement that now stretches from our farm at Hacienda Iluminada to the caffeinated hummus of New York City, El Paso, Tx, Westfield, NJ, and soon, Houston, Tx!
Along the way, we’ve met the doers, the dreamers, and the creative fuckers who inspire us every single day. You’re the reason we keep growing, roasting, and hand crafting specialty coffee with love. Because for us, coffee is a way to share a little more humanity in every single cup.
So, come with us on this journey. From the trees that grow our coffee cherries to the moment you take that first sip.
This is the story of how we bring specialty Puerto Rican coffee from farm to cup.
-Let’s do this!
Journey From Farm to Cup
In 2014, a dream was planted, and a powerful idea began to grow. One rooted in investing in the community of our beautiful island of Puerto Rico and restoring the coffee traditions and practices that had been lost over time. We sat in Maricao’s town hall, sunlight spilling through the windows, as the mayor listened to our vision for Hacienda Iluminada. With a kind smile, he asked for just one thing.
“Help our community by hiring local farmers.” We shook his hand and made that promise, and from that moment, it became the true start of our coffee journey.
Two years later, we opened the first 787 Coffee shop in the states. It was downtown Manhattan on 7th Street in New York City. It was a small space, but our mission was big. To bring the warmth, hospitality, and rich traditions of Puerto Rico to everyone we served. From that day on, every 787 Coffee shop became a little piece of Puerto Rico, expanding to locations in New York City, Puerto Rico, El Paso, TX, Westfield, NJ, and soon, Houston, TX.
Our coffee shops quickly became favorites for hard working students, creative fuckers, and remote workers looking for a lively work space. They came rushing to our doors, drawn by the rich aroma of freshly roasted Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Colombian specialty coffee. You’ll still find our playful swings, glowing neon signs, and welcoming spirit of our baristas greeting you, as soon as you walk in the door, at every store. Proof that our promise lives on, from farm to cup, with only the finest specialty coffee beans.
Get you mornings started with our NuevaYol Coffee Bags! the perfect latino blend. Puerto Rico (Dark Chocolate), Mexico (Caramel), and Columbia (fruity) notes, order online and get a coffee bag shipped to your door today! link below
Magical Mountains of Maricao
Our farm Hacienda Iluminada is located on the highest mountains of Maricao, Puerto Rico. They wear a crown of clouds, and the mornings carry the earthy perfume of wet soil and fresh leaves. It’s here, at 3,000 feet above sea level, that our farm rests. Where cool nights slow the ripening of coffee cherries, allowing each one to take its time. This unhurried pace lets the natural sugars develop fully, giving our coffee its gentle, signature sweetness. The volcanic soil, dark and rich, is alive with minerals that shape the flavor in every specialty coffee cherry we harvest. From our land comes specialty Puerto Rican coffee with notes of dark chocolate, creamy butter, and a bright hint of grapefruit, a true expression of our island, Puerto Rico, and our mountains that raised it.
Come see it for yourself at our Maricao’s BEST coffee farm. Stroll through the lush coffee trees, breathe in the clean mountain air, and taste Puerto Rican coffee where it’s grown. Book your Puerto Rico coffee tour at Hacienda Iluminada today and experience the full journey from farm to cup! link below
Sustainable Coffee Farming
When we walk the fields of Hacienda Iluminada, the sound of springs and rivers are never far away. These waters have been flowing through Maricao long before our coffee trees were planted, and we honor the life they give, clean, pure, and natural. Every drop that feeds our coffee farm comes from natural springs of our land, untouched by chemicals.
As a Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm, we carry forward the same promise we made to our Puerto Rican community the day we first met the mayor. To do the right thing for every living part of our ecosystem. Our shade-grown coffee fields form a living canopy where Puerto Rican finches, butterflies, and hummingbirds find refuge. Their songs fill the mornings, and their presence keeps the balance by naturally controlling pests.
For us, sustainability is a relationship. The soil feeds the coffee, the coffee takes care of our community in Maricao, and our farmers care for the land that sustains us all. This is the real beauty of Hacienda Iluminada. It is a way of life and a philosophy that goes beyond cultivating specialty Puerto Rican coffee, connecting every coffee seed to the health of our land and the heart of our people.
Want to see how we make it happen?
Join us on YouTube Live as we take you behind the scenes, from our farm in Puerto Rico to our coffee shops across the U.S. Come meet the humans, see the process, and experience the love behind every specialty coffee cup. Link below
Our Beautiful Roasting Process
Processing coffee is where science and tradition come together. On harvest mornings, you’ll see our farmers carrying baskets of bright red cherries, each one picked at the peak of ripeness. From there, we decide how to bring out the best in each lot, a decision that requires as much instinct as skill and patience.
From there, the real artistry begins. Taking some batches on a washed path, where the fruit pulp is gently removed with pure mountain spring water, creating a coffee fruit that’s clean, crisp, and bright. Then it follows the honey process, where a golden layer of sweet fruit clings to the coffee beans, and slowly dries on African beds under the Maricao sun. This method uses far less water and adds an incredible depth to the flavor. Hints of tropical fruit that linger in every sip.
And after these coffee fruit reach its perfect humidity it’s time to roast! The magic continues. Our medium roast begins, when the first light spills over Maricao’s mountains. In the roastery, the coffee beans dance in the drum, turning from pale gold to deep chestnut color. The sweet aroma of caramelized sugars fills the air. We listen for the gentle crack, a whisper that the flavors are blooming, then we let the roast cool to perfection. Balancing bright citrus notes with a smooth body. Every batch is a love letter to our land, slowly processed so each cup of specialty coffee carries the warmth of Puerto Rico, from farm to heart.
Our shade-grown environment naturally regulates temperature, meaning the cherries dry slowly and evenly. It’s a gentle approach, one that mirrors how we run the farm. Giving time, care, and letting nature lead. By blending tradition with eco-friendly techniques, we’re not just making better specialty coffee; we’re protecting the land that makes it possible.
📦 Subscribe today and taste the the direct Farm to Cup experience! try single origins from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Columbia. Link Below
The Story Continues
From a promise made in a small town hall in Maricao to the mountains where our coffee trees grow, every step of our journey has been guided by love for the land, for Puerto Rico, and the passion for specialty coffee.
Hacienda Iluminada, is a bridge between nature, community, and the coffee in your cup. Our innovative processing methods honor tradition while protecting the environment, and our roasting process brings out flavors that tell the story of Puerto Rico with every sip.
We appreciate every single one of YOU who have been part of the journey from the very beginning. Thank you for making the dream real. Every day then you visit one of our coffee shops, or shop online. You’re tasting the mountains, the soil, the sun, and the promise that started it all.
We hope to see you soon!
-STAY COOL AND CAFFEINATED
☕ 5 lbs of Specialty Puerto Rican Coffee – Fresh roasted, single origin beans from Hacienda Iluminada in Maricao. Bulk the savings from farm-to-cup freshness order now! link below
To summarize…
If you're after the best coffee shop in NYC, El Paso, Puerto Rico, Westfield NJ and soon in Houston, TX for back-to-school success, and want to buy coffee online that's fresh, sustainable, and full of flavor—look no further than 787 Coffee. We're student-friendly, community-focused, and coffee-obsessed.
Ready to crush your school year? Visit one of our amazing coffee shops, or start powering up your brain by ordering our whole bean coffee and ground coffee at 787coffee.com today!
Let’s do this!
Be a CAFFEINATED HUMAN.
Be a creative human. Be a good human.
Be a NuevaYOL Caffeinated Human.
So here’s your invitation—to live fully, love deeply, and drink damn good coffee while you’re at it.
When you visit Puerto Rico, make sure one of your must-do experiences is exploring Hacienda Iluminada, our award-winning coffee farm in Maricao. It’s more than a farm—it’s the birthplace of 787 Coffee and the heart of everything we do. Come walk the rows of coffee trees, sip coffee roasted just steps from where it was grown, meet our animals, reconnect with nature, and learn the real story behind your daily cup. We started as coffee farmers with nothing but a dream and a machete. And when your vision is clear and you're aligned with love and purpose—everything else follows.
Let your next cup be more than caffeine. Let it be a reminder to slow down, breathe deeply, and enjoy life.
Hacienda Iluminada isn’t just one of the best coffee farms in Puerto Rico—it’s where passion meets purpose, and where your coffee journey comes full circle.
☕ Visit Hacienda Iluminada – Puerto Rico’s Must-See Coffee Experience
Gracias. Gracias. Gracias for supporting 787 Coffee, we have a job because of humans like YOU.