about us
Great coffee starts long before it reaches you. We pay attention to each step along the way so you can enjoy something that is not only high quality, but thoughtfully made.
Our Story
Crafting Excellence Since Day One
La Barba started in 2012 with a passion for roasting specialty coffee and a desire to share it with people in Salt Lake City. What started as an effort to share incredible coffees with our nearest neighbors has grown into a roasting business privileged to share our coffee with people and businesses across the entire United States.
As we’ve grown, we’ve sought to keep specialty coffee approachable while sourcing coffees that showcase the myriad of flavors and characteristics that are possible with coffee. We love finding new and exotic coffees that surprise the biggest coffee nerds but also want to make sure we offer the coffee that satisfies those who enjoy consistency and predictability.
We currently operate cafes in Salt Lake City and Draper, UT, and ship coffee throughout the United States.
Our Commitment
Sourcing Philosophy
Coffee is the seed of a cherry-like fruit, with each fruit having two seeds that eventually become the coffee "beans" we all enjoy. Getting coffee from a hillside plant to international export is a many steps-long process typically involving people across several stages. We seek to source coffee as directly as possible and with as much transparency as is possible in the complicated process of farm to roaster.
Relationships
We work with various partners at different stages of coffee's journey to us, favoring direct contact with farmers and producers, but often relying on our relationship with exporters/importers to access coffees that otherwise would not have access to export channels. Even when working directly with producers, we're relying on a relationship, as we're not overseeing every aspect of their operation. Our hope is to see fair compensation and sustainable practices at origin. Our aim to support this through relationships and trade practices that uphold the integrity of everyone involved in the supply chain and agreements that ensure long term sustainability of the market at origin and final destination.
seasonal sourcing
Like other fruits, coffee is a seasonal item, with most producing regions having one export period a year. While most coffee drinkers are not accustomed to paying attention to the seasonality of different coffee regions, we prioritize seasonal sourcing and supply management to be able to give our customers the experience of drinking coffee that is fresh and in season.
quality
We love coffee. We want to find and drink incredible tasting coffees and want to share them with everyone. We're continually in search of higher quality coffee. This search is a complicated one though. Because we value long term relationships with producers and importers, we have to search more carefully for these coffees, as finding a great coffee hopefully also means finding a great relationship as well. We also have to search for value, as we could source the worlds highest scoring coffees if we were able to pay hundreds and, at times, thousands of dollars per pound (yes, per pound!) at auction. Because this is unrealistic, we also balance increasing the amounts we pay for coffee with what keeps coffee approachable for our customers.
La Barba believes good coffee is more than what’s in the cup. It’s the ritual, aroma, flavor, and experience shared by everyone involved, from farmers and producers to baristas and customers. We source and roast coffee with care for the people behind every step of the process, striving to create coffee that is ethical, approachable, and exceptional. As we grow, we remain committed to balancing thoughtful operations with an obsession for the perfect cup.
No matter our size, we will always care about the coffee.
Have questions?
If you want to learn anything else about us, we are more than happy to answer any and all questions you might have.