Laura Garcia: Terra Coffee Roasters Community, Connections, Coffee!

Laura Garcia has always loved coffee but that’s not the only reason she and her husband, Efrain, made it their business. Drawn to making connections with individuals and with their community, they were inspired to open Terra Coffee Roasters in Stockton’s Yosemite Street Village. There, Laura said, they’ve experienced a neighborhood truly coming together. Much to their delight, the public felt that connection too, voting them Best Coffee Shop in San Joaquin County two years in a row.

Behind the scenes, Efrain plans special projects and handles his hobby-turned-passion of roasting the coffee beans. Unlike large-scale commercial roasters who usually roast 25 pounds at a time, Efraim prepares the beans in small batches of five pounds at a time, closely monitoring the quality and freshness of their product.
Laura describes her role as handling the day-to-day operations of managing the shop and its staff. Terra Coffee Roasters takes pride in offering an array of the highest-quality foods including breakfast items, seasonal specialties and croissant sandwiches as well as treats from Michael’s Heavenly Sweets.

For the coffee drinks, all the syrups are made in-house, from scratch. Honoring her Filipino roots, Laura even makes a syrup from ube, a purple sweet potato. With its nutty vanilla flavor hitting all the right notes, ube is one of their top sellers. Another specialty is café de olla, their version of the traditional Mexican coffee. Laura described the ambiance of Terra Coffee Roasters. “People just love to come here and relax, catch up with friends and be happy!”

Something else that makes their coffee shop special and unique are the baristas. Laura explained, “We have made it a priority to hire people who are connected to the art community, musicians and artists who are amazing people. It’s something we hear about frequently and for which we get so much positive feedback.”

All her life, Laura looked up to the women in her family. “They were really hard workers, entrepreneurs and great moms. They were role models and examples to me of hard work and perseverance. I saw my grandmother do this too, all while showing compassion and helping her community. I wanted to make those positive connections and contributions in my own community here,” she explained.

Within her family and among their Yosemite Street neighbors, Laura believes in the motto: It takes a village. “A strong village, built on trust and respect and love. You don’t do everything, achieve all these things, without a support system. You have to rely on them!” she added. She gives a great deal of credit to her staff and to Efrain, for being a great business partner and father to their children.

Laura feels just as strongly toward their customers. “We have the best customers; we are so lucky!” Pausing for a moment, she added, “Yes, it takes a village, and a lot of coffee!”

Find Terra Coffee Roasters at 912 N. Yosemite Street, Stockton, California. See @Terracoffee209 for upcoming open mic events and more. Terra Coffee is also available, brewed or bagged, at In Season Nursery and Heirloom Kitchen. terracoffee.com