Kape Catorce, which is pronounced Kah-pe cah-tor-seh, is a coffee roasting company based in Queens, New York. Our business is owned and operated by Jes and Jewel, who are queer women. As a Filipino-Colombian couple, our name holds deep significance for us. “Kape” means coffee in Filipino, while “Catorce” translates to fourteen in Spanish. This number carries spiritual significance for us and represents our cultural background. However, you can refer to us as KC14 if you prefer!
At Kape Catorce, we strongly believe that the best coffee should be sourced ethically and enjoyed mindfully. We are committed to acknowledging the hard work, talent, and creativity of all individuals involved in every step of the coffee production process – from the cultivation of beans to your cup.
We genuinely care about more than just the farmers; we prioritize the entire supply chain involved in creating our coffee. Our partnerships with importers, exporters, and cooperatives are carefully selected to ensure ethical practices throughout. This dedication allows us to maintain fair trade principles that benefit everyone engaged in the fascinating journey of coffee production.
Furthermore, sustainability is an essential aspect of our commitment. We proudly support farmers who employ responsible farming techniques like shade-grown coffee and organic farming methods that prioritize ecosystem preservation.
We recognize that savoring a cup of coffee goes beyond its flavor and aroma – it’s about appreciating the journey taken by passionate individuals behind each cup. By honoring the labor of everyone involved in coffee production through responsible sourcing practices, we guarantee that you can enjoy your cup with peace of mind.
Thank you for choosing Kape Catorce as your source for responsibly sourced and meticulously crafted coffee!
Jewel’s upbringing in the picturesque town of Batangas, nestled between mountains and the sea, shaped her love for coffee. After moving to the United States for college, she found herself immersed in the bustling world of coffee shops where she gained invaluable knowledge about coffee processing methods and latte art. As her passion for specialty coffee grew, so did her appreciation for the warmth and connection that hospitality and camaraderie bring to the coffee experience. Throughout her impressive career spanning over a decade, Jewel has had the privilege of learning from inspiring women in the industry who have shared their vast knowledge and contagious enthusiasm for how this humble beverage can unite people.
Jes’s upbringing in Colombia was shaped by the influential women in her family who instilled strong values that she carries with her today. Her grandmother Leo played a significant role in teaching Jes to respect the Pachamama, or Mother Earth, as well as those who work with and on the land. Visiting the renowned fincas de café in the Coffee Triangle of the North left a lasting impression on her, witnessing firsthand the dedication and effort involved in producing some of the world’s finest coffee. It was within the coffee industry that Jes discovered an opportunity to blend her interests in education, support for rural development, and research. This alignment has allowed her to pursue her passions wholeheartedly and make a meaningful impact.
We are committed to transparency, traceability, women’s empowerment, and mindfulness.
We believe that people deserve to know as much as possible about the coffee they drink. Coffee quality is about so much more than beans: the best coffee is made with fair labor and transparent business practices. We want consumers to understand so much more than varietal of the beans or the altitude they were grown at: we help convey the coffee producer’s vision for their product, ensuring consumers that they are participating in an ethical, sustainable supply chain.
We are passionate about delivering the finest and most flavorful coffee beans to fuel your daily brews. Sourced from coffee regions worldwide, our beans undergo a meticulous selection process, ensuring only the highest quality makes it to your cup. Each batch is artfully roasted in small batches, preserving the unique characteristics of every origin and variety. This process enhances the inherent flavors of the beans, resulting in a cup of coffee that is rich, aromatic, and memorable. From velvety smooth to bold and robust, our diverse range caters to every coffee enthusiast’s taste. Whether you savor the richness of a medium roast or prefer the bright notes of a light roast, we’ve got you covered. Our commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing means that every cup you enjoy also supports responsible coffee farming practices.
In order to bring transparency to our coffee, we thoroughly research all of our business partners and trace every aspect of the product’s journey. From the hands that planted the seeds, cultivated and harvested them, to those who import and export the coffee – we aim to trace as far and know as much as we can. We reach out directly to importers and producers, verifying their ethical practices and ensuring that they meet our standards of accountability.
For us, sourcing coffee ethically also means prioritizing the women who make up 70% of the coffee industry’s workers. Despite the fact that coffee production is dominated by women, their contributions are often under acknowledged and undercompensated.
Our partnerships with women-owned businesses are at the core of our production process: currently, 80% of the coffee we sell is women-produced.
Drinking coffee is so much more than a daily routine: it can be a mindful. creative experience. Each cup of coffee has its own story. It takes about two years for a coffee plant to produce fruit, and harvested coffee beans often travel thousands of miles. across countries and cultures, before they reach their final form. We believe that taking the time to learn each coffee’s story, tuning into the ways coffee both reflects its origins and offers new surprises, really elevates the drinking experience.
KC14 also honors coffee’s legacy as a tool of creation, a way for people to get together and share stories and ideas. We partner with women artists in Colombia, the Philippines, and worldwide to share their artwork on ur products. We hope that their work and ours can help inspire you on your own journey.
