A new cafe opening Thursday inside Costa Mesa's Mercado González is putting Mexican-grown coffee front and center, roasting single-origin beans on-site and inviting customers to taste the difference between farms hundreds of miles apart. Casa Libre, set to open its doors on September 24, includes a roastery and bean market where shoppers can watch beans roasted before they're packed, learn about individual coffee regions and producers, and sample varying flavor profiles side by side.
The concept comes from cofounders Jeremy Creighton and Natalie Taormina, according to the Orange County Register. Creighton, who was connected to Newport Beach's Freelance Coffee Project and Common Room Roasters after relocating from Melbourne, Australia, said in a written release, “Mexico is literally our neighbor, and its coffee deserves a place in the spotlight.” When their Newport Beach shop first opened, Greer's OC described Freelance Coffee Project as the pair's second business, alongside their creative branding agency.
Taormina, the other Casa Libre cofounder, said Mexican coffee is not one single flavor or experience, per the Register's report. That philosophy shows up directly on the menu: customers can compare coffees from Chiapas and Veracruz, including beans from Doña Duglas Molina and her family at El Cielo Farm in Villa Corzo, Chiapas, which carry notes of chocolate, red plum and honeydew melon. Casa Libre will also offer coffee from small farms near Motozintla, Chiapas, close to the Guatemalan border, and from growers in Huatusco, Veracruz.
Where the Beans Come From
Mexico is home to more than 500,000 coffee farmers spread across 15 states, and most of those farmers tend plots smaller than three hectares, or about 7.4 acres, according to the seed article's reporting. Chiapas and Veracruz alone produce over 60 percent of the country's total coffee crop, with Chiapas accounting for roughly 37 percent and Veracruz about 24 percent, according to USDA Foreign Agricultural Service data. For the 2026/27 marketing year, the agency forecasts Mexico's total coffee production at 4.14 million 60-kilogram bags, with arabica making up 85 percent of national output.
Veracruz coffee carries particular legal weight: the state has held a protected Denomination of Origin known as Café Veracruz under Mexican federal law since November 15, 2000, a designation requiring certified arabica beans to be grown above 750 meters in altitude, according to Santo Café. Mexico has more than 46,000 mostly small- and medium-sized organic producers cultivating crops across 331,000 hectares; coffee producers accounted for 91 percent of certified plant producers.
Coffee Shop Staples With a Mexican Twist
Beyond the single-origin bean market, Casa Libre will serve espresso, batch brew and other coffee-shop staples familiar to any cafe regular. The menu also features signature drinks built around Mexican flavors, including the El Jaguar latte made with corn, cacao and chile syrup, and the El Colibrí, which uses café de olla syrup. Pastelería González will supply pastries for the stall, including canela rolls, jamón pockets, chocolate chip galletas, almond croissants and colibrí galletas.
Casa Libre will be open Sunday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., at 2300 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa. More information is available at cafecasalibre.com.
A Growing Food Hall on Harbor Boulevard
Casa Libre's arrival adds another specialty concept to Mercado González, the 70,000-square-foot food hall that opened at the same Harbor Boulevard address on November 17, 2023, with more than 20 artisanal food stalls, as Hoodline covered at its grand opening. The market, modeled after traditional municipal markets in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Oaxaca according to the Los Angeles Times, is operated by Anaheim-based grocer Northgate Market, founded by Don Miguel and Doña Teresa González, whose first store opened in 1980 and which now runs more than 40 stores across Southern California, per the Orange County Business Journal.
Casa Libre will serve freshly prepared coffee drinks and specialty in-house-roasted whole beans. Casa Libre joins other specialty vendors inside the market, including the premier U.S. location of Mexico City's Churrería El Moro, which opened alongside the food hall in November 2023, according to L.A. Taco. In August, Northgate announced it will convert its longtime La Habra store into a second Mercado González food hall, per Abasto.
