Union Kitchen Accelerator Member 1790 Coffee, a family-run business committed to sharing the rich traditions of Mexican coffee, is continuing its steady growth. The brand is now onboarding with Whole Foods Market and MOMs Organic, expanding its regional footprint and introducing more customers to its bold, single-origin, shade-grown roasts.
Founded in 2019 by the De La Peña Gonzalez family, 1790 Coffee was created in response to a clear gap in the U.S. market. After living in Mexico and falling in love with the country’s unique, chocolate-forward coffee, the family relocated to Washington, D.C., and discovered that high-quality Mexican coffee was largely unavailable on grocery shelves. Their solution was to build a brand that could fill that void—bringing exceptional coffee to market while honoring its roots.
The company originally launched under the name Americano & Co., but rebranded to 1790 Coffee during Phase One: Concept of the Union Kitchen Accelerator. The new name pays homage to the year coffee first arrived in Mexico and better reflects the company’s cultural and agricultural heritage.
From the beginning, 1790 Coffee worked closely with Union Kitchen to build a scalable business model—refining its pricing, packaging, and go-to-market strategy. The team tested products through Union Kitchen stores, gathered direct customer feedback, and navigated the challenges of launching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, the family remained focused on their mission: to provide exceptional, responsibly sourced coffee that reflects the people and places behind every bean.
1790 Coffee sources exclusively from smallholder farms in the mountainous regions of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Puebla. Each roast is single origin, shade-grown, and produced using sustainable, time-honored methods. These high-altitude farms are certified organic and fair trade, ensuring high quality and responsible practices throughout the supply chain.
Each of 1790 Coffee’s roasts highlights the flavor characteristics of a specific region:
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Márago Moonlight Roast (Chiapas): Medium roast with notes of chocolate, malt, and almond
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Signature Roast (Oaxaca): Medium roast with notes of graham cracker, milk chocolate, and orange
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Red Seal Espresso (Puebla): Dark roast with notes of orange, milk chocolate, and brown sugar
In addition to its growing retail footprint at Union Kitchen stores and MOM’s Organic Market, 1790 Coffee is also proudly served at Cravings, a Wagshal’s coffee shop in Washington, D.C. and at the Bridge, the cafe at American Unviersity.
Onboarding with Whole Foods Market represents a meaningful next step for the brand, expanding access while remaining grounded in its founding values. It follows the path of other Union Kitchen Accelerator alumni—such as Compass Coffee, Jesse & Ben's, and Snacklins—who have scaled by growing deliberately, listening to their customers, and building strong operational foundations.
Learn more about the Union Kitchen Accelerator here and build your winning food business.
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