Coffee shop offers glimpse of Colombian culture

Now in its third year, Colombian Coffee Exchange set out to bring the authentic taste of Colombian coffee to Johnson City.

“We started this business on a shoestring in November of 2019,” said James Blevins-Garcia, Co-owner of Colombian Coffee Exchange.

German Garcia, Blevins-Garcia’s husband and business partner, is from Yolombó in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Antioquia’s capital, Medellin, is where Blevins-Garcia met Garcia.

“He was raised right beside a coffee plantation. He played in the coffee fields when he was a kid,” said Garcia. “He knew the whole process of how the coffee beans were grown, and he was friends with people who owned a small farm.”

Garcia expressed to Blevins-Garcia that he wanted to be his own boss in the summer of 2019, and the concept for Colombian Coffee Exchange was born soon after by selling German’s work truck for money to get a small business loan. Garcia also contacted a local farm in Yolombó and drafted up a contract to source the business’s coffee.

“All their coffee is fair-trade, they pay their employees a living wage and it’s organic,” said Blevins-Garcia.

The couple selected Johnson City as the place to open their business; the shop offers smoothies and hot and cold coffee drinks, complete with Colombian sweet cream made from real panela, as well as empanadas, pandebonos and other food dishes.

Colombia is renowned for its coffee due to its ideal climate and soil conditions, but there is also a social component. The sense of community around coffee and dining is something that Colombian Coffee Exchange seeks to emulate.

“As much as it is caffeine to get the day started, it’s also a social ritual in Colombia,” continued Blevins-Garcia. “All the old guys will gather around the town square and have their pandebonos from the street and their coffee and talk. Everything is set up around the family, and your friends, not your job. In this country, it’s all set up around the job, your career.”

Colombian Coffee Exchange aims to provide a space where a person can slow down and relax or work in a comfortable environment. Blevins-Garcia also stressed the importance of a healthy work environment.

“Whoever works here is going to make a living wage, or I won’t be in business.”

Along with the addition of a drive-thru, the new location will have a space dedicated for students and remote workers that will include plug-ins and USB ports for laptops, as well as high-speed WiFi.

“People can drive up, get their coffee and drive away; it will help business in the morning a lot,” said Blevins-Garcia.

The coffee shop will be operating out of their food truck at the new location while finalizations are made to the building. Colombian Coffee Exchange expects to re-open its doors at 1703 West Market Street in Johnson City no later than Dec. 1.