Mother Tongue Coffee
Mother Tongue Coffee is an Oakland-based roaster founded by Jen Apodaca that buys coffees from trusted producers and pays better-than-fair prices to support producers. They roast at Pulley Collaborative in Oakland, operate Mother Tongue Cafe & Bar, and are carried by cafés and retailers via wholesale partnerships.
All Coffee
BITTERSWEET
$24.00
MERRY EVERYTHING & A HAPPY ALWAYS 2025 - A holiday blend
$0.00
YUMMY DECAF - Mexico
$25.00
WOMEN'S GROUP BELLA VISTA - Chiapas, Mexico (washed process)
$0.00
BUNUM WO ESTATE PEABERRY
$0.00
THIRST TRAP - A light & juicy blend
$0.00
NEBULA - a dark roast
$22.00
MUGSHOTS - A medium-light blend
$0.00
BITTERSWEET - A medium-dark blend
$0.00
About Mother Tongue Coffee
Mother Tongue positions itself as a roaster that builds direct, trust-based relationships with producers and prioritizes sustainable, profitable supply chains. The company states that coffee is a business where all participants must prosper and that Mother Tongue pays better-than-fair prices to producers who make a financial difference in producing communities. The site emphasizes trust and taste as markers of ethically sourced coffee. Founder Jen Apodaca started Mother Tongue Coffee in 2019. She has been roasting since 2005 for businesses including McMenamin’s, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle and The Crown. Jen is described as a roaster's roaster, a certified Q‑Grader, a former chair of the Coffee Roasters Guild of America, the 2019 US Cup Tasters Champion, and second place in the 2022 Roasters Championship.
For excellent coffee roasters, try our monthly coffee subscription, Unusual Coffee.
Origins
Consider these other popular and lesser known single origins that may be interesting.
Coffee that's special, unique, and sometimes a bit unusual. Try Unusual Coffee, a monthly coffee delivery from Every Coffee.
Unusual Coffee