Casa Libre opens at Mercado González in Costa Mesa
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Mexico has nearly 500,000 coffee farmers powering a growing industry. This week, Casa Libre opened at Mercado González in Costa Mesa with the intention of highlighting some of those single-origin coffees.
The business is built on a partnership between the González and Taormina/Creighton families.
“Our families have known each other for years. Both our grandfathers were business entrepreneurs back in the day in Anaheim,” said Natalie Taormina, co-founder and partner at Casa Libre. “We built our businesses side by side.”
Taormina and her husband and business partner Jeremy Creighton are two of the original founders of Common Room Roasters and in 2022, they launched Freelance Coffee Project inside their branding agency outpost, Passport Brand Design in Newport Beach.
Don Miguel González Jiménez and Doña Teresa Reynoso de González opened the first Northgate Market in Anaheim in 1980, converting an old liquor store into a grocery store. Today, the family operates more than 40 stores in California, including Mercado González in Costa Mesa, which revolutionized the way Orange County shoppers interact with grocery stores when the supermarket and Mexican-style indoor mercado opened in 2023.
While Mercado has evolved since then, adding new puestos like Cenaduría Doña Tere, which opened in July, Taormina noticed the lack of a coffee shop.
“There was just one thing missing in the market and that’s great coffee,” said Tauramina. “In the past two years we have worked together to dream up what we could bring here.”
While Ethiopia, Colombia, and Costa Rica are all places that have become synonymous with good coffee, Casa Libre is focused on highlighting Mexican coffee. The beans are roasted and packed on site at Casa Libre’s Roastery and Bean Market.
“Roasting on site is an important part of the experience and teaching people about the process, but also the aroma of freshly roasted coffee brings people in,” said Joshua González, general manager at Mercado González.
Coffee featured at Casa Libre will come from places including Huatusco and Motozintla. Currently, the cafe is focused on spotlighting coffee beans from Doña Duglas Molina and her family at El Cielo in Villa Corzo, Chiapas. Molina’s farm also participates in the Café Delas program, which supports women coffee producers.
“Doña Duglas is an incredible farmer; I love the way her coffee tastes and the story behind it,” Taormina said.
Casa Libre stands near the mercado’s main entrance, in an the area that used sell fresh flowers. Guests can order specialty coffee staples at the counter, like lattes and cappuccinos or pick up whole beans to brew at home.
The drink menu features Mexican ingredients and house made syrups. El jaguar latte, for example, uses house-made corn, cacao and chile syrup for a flavor that is reminiscent of the warm spices found in mole, while the el colibrí includes café de olla syrup inspired by the traditional cinnamon-spiced coffee.
Special pastries baked at Pastelería González are also on the menu. Guests can choose from a canela roll, jamón pocket, chocolate chip galleta and almond croissants. Casa Libre’s signature gingerbread hummingbird cookie, or colibrí galleta, is also baked in house, with sweet piloncillo.
Taormina said she hopes Casa Libre helps customers become acquainted with Mexico’s coffee culture.
“Mexican coffee is really coming on the scene. Everyone thinks you have to go so far to get incredible origins, but its right here, right next door,” Taormina said.
Casa Libre is located inside Mercado González at 2300 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. For details, go to cafecasalibre.com.
