Hector Castillo Carvajal Talks Bronx Coffee

Posted in History & People on September 26, 2022, by Claire Janda

Claire Janda is the Coordinator for Public Programming at The New York Botanical Garden.


A person in a brimmed hat and denim shirt holds up bottles of iced coffee on a sunny dayIn honor of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, let’s hear more about the South Bronx specialty coffee roaster Don Carvajal Café, and the founder and operator behind the brand, Hector Castillo Carvajal (a friendly face that you may recognize from the NYBG Wednesday Farmers Market).

“Don Carvajal Café is an Afro-Latino-owned specialty coffee company based in the South Bronx,” Castilla Carvajal says. “We focus on the ‘3 C’s’—coffee, community, and culture. Steady on the grind and fueling the New York hustle, our coffee is the bridge between the campo (countryside), the farmhouse in the Dominican Republic, and New York City. With coffee as the conduit, we hope to build equity in our home of the Bronx, create opportunities, and inspire others to cultivate more spaces for us, by us.

“We currently offer single-origin coffees from Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, and Costa Rica; a signature Greca Blend; and a Medium Colombian Decaf. The Greca Blend is our nod to the ‘greca,’ a three-tiered coffee brewing device and household staple in many Latinx homes. The blend was made to celebrate the culture of the Latinx/Hispanic/Afro-Latino community.”

Packaged coffee sits among piles of fresh-roasted beans

Don Carvajal Cafe is committed to changing the coffee industry through sustainable and socially responsible methods. Learn more about Hector’s brewing, roasting, and importing practices.

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