A free coffee tasting event for all Mercer students was hosted by Mercer’s Student Life on Wednesday, Oct. 1, during lunch. Turtle Beans Specialty Coffee Shop was invited to present some of its bestselling beverages for students to try. The event was held in the Student Center, Room SC125, in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a period from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 that celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Steven Fonseca, the owner of the coffee shop, started the event by telling the students about how he went from picking coffee in his home country, Costa Rica, to opening his own shop in New Jersey, buying specialty beans from all around South America.
Messiah Snow, a first-year Mercer student, later said, “When I came here initially, I was coming here because someone said there is free coffee, but when I sat down and listened to his speech, I didn’t really care about the coffee anymore. I mean, of course I had to try the product, but his story meant a lot more to me in general.”
He was trying the coffee shop’s Autumn Classic Latte, which is one of their specialty drink options that customers can exclusively get in the fall months.
In the back of the room, the Turtle Beans staff had prepared a coffee bar with eight different coffee varieties from their shop for Mercer students to try. They had four iced or hot latte variations, two different cold brew options, and three of their single-origin choices.
Asia Spain Davis, a second-year Mercer student, said, “You can really taste the flavor.”
The single origins come from different farms in South America, which Fonseca visits personally. He travels to farms in Costa Rica, Mexico and Guatemala to check on the coffee beans himself.
Their café de olla was also on the menu. The students later learned that it is a traditional coffee from Mexico which, according to the online coffee newsletter Perfect Daily Grind, was originally invented during the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century so that soldiers could have a warm drink in the cold war camps.
Fonseca said, “Linda, my wife, she is definitely the creator of mixing the sweet stuff like the café de olla. She just made it, she made it from scratch.”
Their Pura Vida Latte is the bestseller of the store and combines flavors of coconut and caramel topped off with real coconut flakes.
Fonseca said, “My sister was the one that came out with the Pura Vida. She is from Costa Rica too.”
Fonseca said he had a tough childhood with a single mom who left him alone in Costa Rica at the age of 11 to go work in the U.S. so she could make enough money to support him.
“Life is a jungle. Either you get eaten or you get stronger. I stopped expecting anything, because I am in charge of my life. You are the bean and the brewer,” he said to give the students something on their way.
Fonseca used to be a pastor and said, “Anytime I have a chance to connect with people, especially young people, that is my actual call more than actual business. I’m not a business person.”
This event was not just about tasting coffee. The students had a variety of reactions to Fonseca’s presentation.
Asia Spain Davis, a second-year Mercer student, said, “I loved his story, it kind of touched home a little bit.”
The couple opened the shop in 2022. In an interview, Fonseca said that they opened the shop because, at the time, they were in one of the darkest places in their lives, and opening the shop was part of healing for them.
Fonseca said, “We just love to learn from other cultures but also share the goodness that we have in our hearts.”
Mercer’s Student Life and Leadership considered the event a success.
Raif Sanchez, a third-year advertising and graphic design student who helped organize the event, said, “I was really happy to see how many people came, and I was even happier for the business to get this recognition.”
Davis said, “I feel like it brings us closer to not just the campus community but the outside community, so yes, I definitely would like more events like this.”
