Why “Cartel”?
We took the word back. The only thing we traffic is transparency and premium Colombian coffee.
Café Cartel is a Hoboken coffee shop founded in 2024. For decades “cartel” has meant Colombia’s darkest chapter. We use it for something else: the honest, unglamorous work of the farmers who grow exceptional coffee, starting with Olga Lucia Franco and the small growers of Convenio, Tolima.
We weigh every shot — 18 grams for a 12 oz cup, 22 for a 16 oz — so you get exactly what you paid for and the farmer gets the credit they’ve earned.
Sourcing directly from women-led farms means more of what you spend reaches the people who grew it. No middlemen, no vague “double shot,” no shortcuts. We’re building a “Peso a Peso” movement: one cup, one bag, one honest weight at a time.