Curator's Notes
Little Waves started as a coffee bike business in 2004, built on a love story between co-founders Areli and Leon, and has grown into one of the most spirited and purposeful roasters in the country. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Little Waves is proudly Latina-led, women-forward, and deeply committed to creating opportunities in coffee for people whose backgrounds haven't always been represented in the industry. They source from women-led cooperatives, pay living wages, and build long-term producer relationships rooted in trust and equity. Roast Magazine's Micro-Roaster of the Year for 2022. I first tasted their coffee during their Seattle residency at La Marzocco Café in 2019 and have been waiting for the perfect moment to bring them to Bean Box ever since. That moment is here. In the cup, expect soulful, beautifully crafted coffees full of heart, warmth, and intention.
Start Here: Los Toros, a directly-sourced Mexican coffee from Chiapas with cinnamon-sugar warmth, smooth sweet tea body, and a velvety chocolate fudge finish. Like a great café de olla in your favorite mug.
From the Roaster
Little Waves Coffee is a Latina-led, women-forward roastery that was named Winner of the Micro Roastery of the Year Award by Roast Magazine for 2022. We love experiencing the wonders of flavor and the experience of beauty in a cup, knowing that many loving hands make this experience possible.
We roast in small batches and are passionate about achieving the highest quality roasts we can to make our coffees shine. We offer specialty coffees from all over the world, and have a special interest in women-produced coffees. Social responsibility is at the center of our business model. As such, we are committed to paying all of our employees a livable wage, and to pursuing equitable, inclusive practices in every part of our business. At Little Waves, we use our everyday buying program to build the relationships, trust, and security that allows our producer partners to focus and build upon quality. We prioritize women and farmers of color, buying from many farmers year after year and building relationships that create benefit in both directions.
We are a fully woman-identifying team, largely from either immigrant or first-generation backgrounds. It plays into the day to day in how we relate to each other and to the coffees. It also plays a role in our sourcing program and how we seek out that representation all throughout our industry’s ecosystem. Our goal as a team is to see all boats rise and develop our business with this in mind.
