By Jeffery Theodore, Contributing Writer
NORTHBOROUGH – Coffee is king back in Alexis and Osiris Vallejos’ native Nicaragua.
Locally, Alexis and Osiris are working to continue that tradition on a daily basis with their shop, Brilla Coffee.
“In our culture, coffee is everything,” Alexis said in a recent interview. “We start the day with it, enjoy lunch with it and sit down with family and friends throughout the day to drink it.”
Coffee shop values supports farmers
Alexis and his wife conceived the idea of Brilla Coffee at their kitchen table in 2019. They initially roasted and distributed their coffee to local coffee shops, stores and online customers. In 2021, though, they opened two brick-and-mortar locations in Holden and Northborough.
The couple hails from Matagalpa, a mountainous area in northern Nicaragua with a warm, year-round, spring-like climate that is idyllic for coffee bean production. Running their own shops, Alexis and Osiris now use direct-trade agreements to buy coffee beans from places like Matagalpa.
“We’re actually shaking the hands of the farmers and helping them to make a profit,” Alexis said of the direct trade model.
“When you think about it, the farmers are the ones who tend to make the least profit,” he said. “Everyone should know that behind every cup of coffee, a lot of hard work went into getting coffee beans hand-picked and imported.”
Coffee shop seeks to educate, give back
Alexis, Osiris and their team of eight employees make sure that they educate people about the coffee they’re drinking.
“The way we compete against larger and more established coffee shops is to differentiate ourselves by providing an experience,” he said. “The customers can find out how the coffee beans are grown, learn cupping notes and see pictures of the farms where the beans came from.”
As it seeks to educate, Brilla also looks to give back.
Since opening their first coffee shop in Holden, first responders have received 15 percent off their purchases. This month, Brilla Coffee also started offering 10 percent discounts to teachers and students.
“We want to give back to the community here and in Nicaragua,” Alexis said.
Taking that to heart, he said, the team has supported school fundraisers in Rutland and Northborough, donated coffee, and gift cards to various charities and events.
They’ve donated musical instruments, chairs and desks for the church and kids classrooms, and are planning on the next steps for computers, and supplies to have the Nicaraguan children connect to the world. Just some of their contributions back in Nicaragua.
“We’ve been fortunate to grow and giving back is important to us,” Alexis said.
‘We hope to expand this business for them, and for the world’
Alexis credits Columbia Tech, a Westborough-based firm where he works as senior vice-president of program management, for much of the business acumen he’s used to open these coffee shops.
“What I’ve learned there over the last 18 years at Columbia Tech, I have applied to Brilla as well,” he said. “They’ve mentored me to be better with business.”
One day, he hopes to pass along Brilla Coffee to his two young sons.
“They know what we do and are so happy when we have fundraisers for their school,” Alexis said. “We hope to expand this business for them, and for the world.”
Work continues, in the meantime, with a simple mission to provide a great coffee experience from Farm to Cup while supporting communities near and far.
Learn more about Brilla Coffee by visiting their website at www.brillacoffee.com.
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