Before the pandemic
Chris and I, as many millions of Americans, had busy lives in the most beautiful but also busiest city in the world.
I personally worked 7 days a week, at a law firm Monday to Fridays and as a hostess on the weekends.
Chris worked in a hotel in Midtown Manhattan with early mornings and late night shifts.
We had to be very creative to see each other and to spend time together. I used to go to his hotel after work and stay with him until midnight to be able to hang out. He came with friends to the restaurant I worked at on weekends to see me while I worked.We did our daily activities at different times while trying to have a healthy relationship.
February 2020
Two weeks before the pandemic, I started a new job and Chris was promoted to a higher position in a Time Square hotel.
March 2020
Our lives, like the ones of million of Americans, had changed forever.
I was sent to work from home and Chris was furloughed a week later, so we found each other for the first time ever, spending time together 24/7. It was weird but we loved it.
Miraculously as many may think, we didn’t kill each other in our less than 200sq ft studio. We were actually very happy to finally be with each other all day and started doing simple activities together like getting groceries, cooking, going for walks, meditating and even building a 100-piece puzzle for hours.
May 2020
With all the time in quarantine, we decided to research and learn about coffee and transform Chris’ love for it and my passion for Colombia into our new business adventure while creating a plan for this new normal that the whole world is facing.
We used our time watching webinars, having online mentorship sessions with coffee experts and cupping samples of coffee.
August 2020
We brainstormed names and filed for Pure Joy Coffee, LLC in the state of New York. That’s how PJC was born in our studio apartment in the East Village.
We then tested different coffees with family and friends to test what they like.
December 2020
We decided to give up our tiny studio, put our belongings in Manhattan Mini Storage and head out to Colombia. There, I showed Chris the wonders of the coffee area. Our sense of adventure, discovery and mindfulness fueled us to source delicious Colombian coffees that contribute to economic growth for a country where more than half million families depend on coffee production.
July 2021
After visiting Colombia and Hawaii, working from home and visiting friends in California and Georgia, we came back to New York City. We rented a 1-bedroom apartment, double the size of our previous one and that’s when our new life began.
We created a new morning routine together starting with reading, drinking our coffee, checking on each other’s feelings, meditating, walking to the gym, making our breakfast smoothie and then continuing with our daily tasks.
October 2021
We did a second test run of coffee with family and friends this time with the coffees we planned to carry.
February 2022
Our custom-built website was finally completed.
Today
Pure Joy is our project together, our vehicle to share our own passions as a couple while having fun being creative and challenged with all the unknowns that starting a business entail.
With every sip of our coffee, we want to offer everyone a moment to sit sill, to enjoy its soft fragrance and warm aroma of the lush mountains of Colombia and discover through its notes why Colombian coffee is one of the best coffees in the world.
It’s not common among humans to enjoy our food or beverages, to think about the flavor and sensations they make us feel. We rush and rush sometimes forgetting the pleasure of every little thing and moment in life.
That’s why we want to invite you to enjoy your coffee slowly, to smell the aroma and to start your morning full of gratitude and joy for everything around you. We are inspired by Colombia: the aroma if its coffee, the kindness of its people, the uniqueness of its culture, the beauty of its landscape and its immense biodiversity.
Thank you for believing in us!
Chris & Delia
Authentic Colombian Coffee
Colombia is a large country filled with diverse landscapes, from rainforests to mountaintops, two coastlines, and everything in between.
There are 914,000 ha of coffee farms across 5 main zones and 19 sub-regions of Colombia. Within these, buyers will mainly find the Caturra, Maragogype, Tabi, Typica, Bourbon, Castillo, and Colombia varieties.
According to the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, the Colombian coffee association, coffee provides 800,000 direct jobs across the country, positively impacting 563,000 families as well as the economy.
Generally speaking, Colombian Arabica is known for its pronounced aroma,acidity, medium-high body, and cleanness.
High-altitude coffees are often the most sought-after Colombian crops. When well cared for, the cooler mountain temperatures can allow the cherries to ripen more slowly. In turn, this leads to more acidic, aromatic, and flavorful beverages.
Risaralda
Department: Risaralda
Capital: Pereira
Location: Deep in the heart of the central Andes.
Coffee flavor notes: Lively acidity, sweet peach undertones, complex and delicate medium body.
Our coffee: Las Brisas.
Antioquia
Department: Antioquia
Capital: Medellín
Location:Central northwestern region.
Coffee flavor notes: A rich, smooth, well-balanced cup with medium body that can be enjoyed any time of day.
Our coffee: Támesis, Tropical Summer and Giraldo Exótico.
Caldas
Department: Caldas
Capital: Manizales
Location: Just south of Antioquia.
Coffee flavor notes: Sweet balance of their own.
Our coffee: Montebonito (coming soon)