This coffee shop design is an ode to Mexican coffee culture

by Jennifer Meyer

Open industrial style meets warm wood and clay brick textures at this Kali Coffee Roasters café. Created by architecture and design studio Concéntrico, the interior of the new coffee shop has been interpreted as a visual and sensory journey through the coffee-making process. 

For many people, coffee shops are an important part of their lives. They pick up a coffee to go on their way to work, turn the coffee shop into their home office armed with a laptop, or meet friends there for breakfast. In this way, a coffee shop almost becomes something like a second home.

A new café that is sure to make people feel at home opened in the Mexican city of San Pedro Garza García at the end of September. Behind it is coffee producer Kali Coffee Roasters in collaboration with architecture and design studio Concéntrico. The coffee house is intended to be a testament to the rich heritage of Mexican coffee producers and a visual and sensory journey through the production process of the coffee beans.

Kali Coffee Roasters is the product of Mexican "cafetaleros" (coffee producers). They have over 30 years of experience growing high-quality coffee in the lush green landscapes of Chiapas, Mexico. "Kali", which means "home" in the local Nahuatl language, embodies the company's philosophy and beliefs. The agricultural wealth and values of the culture have been passed down through generations. As such, Kali Coffee Roasters says it ensures that each member of their group is well taken care of by providing housing, health care and educational programs.

How the values of the coffee producer and the lives of the farming families inspired Concéntrico's design team to create the visual vision of the new café is illustrated and told in our photo series:

“One cup at a time, this multi-sensorial encounter with coffee takes each customer to the Central Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico to discover the culture, traditions, and ways of living [of the coffee producers].” (Alejandro Peña Villarreal – Director Concéntrico)

The houses of coffee farmers – with wood and clay walls and handmade clay tiles on the roof – inspired Concéntrico. The use of these clay tiles as part of the interior design conveys not only their way of life, but also warmth. A feeling that is considered the hallmark of Kali Coffee Roasters.

The arrangement of the clay tiles on the walls and in the metal grids has an impressive visual effect. Their curves and material properties also absorb and deflect sound waves, which contributes to better acoustics.

When the light falls on the texture of the clay tiles, an exciting optical depth is created. The curved shadows are reminiscent of coffee beans and connect the space with the product.

The coffee bar is deliberately placed in a location where it is clearly visible to every customer. It forms the heart of the café. The open, industrial design encourages interaction between the clientele and the staff and provides the ideal stage for the baristi to showcase their skills.

Time plays a crucial role in this interior concept and is symbolized by the walnut wood used at the base of the bar and for the benches. The grain symbolizes, on the one hand, the different layers of earth that are created with the cultivation of coffee and, on the other hand, the time and years of experience it takes to produce this precious commodity. After all, many steps are necessary before the perfect cup of coffee can be served: from planting, tending and harvesting to preparing the fruit, fermenting, drying, sorting and roasting to packaging, grinding and brewing.

As a tribute to this detailed work process, all the furniture and lighting were custom designed in collaboration with Ok Design Studio. This was done through a careful process of observing materials, textiles and local designs to then craft unique pieces from them.