5 Best Fair Trade∙Direct Trade Coffee Shops in Orange County, California
Getting to know a destination's coffee shops, roasters and baristas is one of our favorite ways to immerse ourselves in understanding a travel location. And if ever the coffee story of a locale has given a look behind the curtain at something deeper, it is the coffee story of the otherwise-touristy Orange County, California.
The arrival of Chicago's Intelligentsia Coffee to Los Angeles in 2007 sparked an explosion of the "third wave coffee" movement in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Connoisseur-level coffee shops popped up in markets previously catering to commodity-style coffee drinkers. (info)
Just under a decade since The Great LA/OC Coffee Awakening, Orange County is home to 15+ artisanal coffee shops, each specializing in expertly roasting their own fair trade and/or direct trade coffees.
We've jittered our way through coffee houses all over the county, and found these five, listed alphabetically, to be the top:
Cafecito Organico
The Coffee
Cafecito Organico has direct relationships with small family farms and cooperatives in Guatemala and Ethiopia. Coffee is roasted in-house (at their LA location).
We love:
the chocolate nuttiness of Cafecito's La Voz pour over, and their La Voz cold brew is the favorite we've had anywhere to date.
What's to love besides the coffee?
We appreciate how the Latin American rustic décor of most Cafecito locations pays tribute to their coffee's homeland, as well as to the ethnic group that consumes coffee at the highest rate. (stat) Plus, it's a nice deviation from the industrial chic décor that predominates today's coffee house scene.
Food & non-coffee beverages
- pastries & cookies
- small lunch menu of various panini and grilled cheese sandwiches
Locations
- 2930 Bristol St. (in The Lab Anti-Mall), Costa Mesa 92626
- 440 S. Anaheim Blvd. (in the Anaheim Packing District), Anaheim 92805
- Also in Los Angeles County in the cities of Malibu & Silver Lake, with more locations pending
Kéan Coffee
The Coffee
Fair trade and organic coffees are roasted in small batches on site at Kéan (with the exception of espresso, which they need too much of, thus roast off-site and bring in).
We love:
the full roast of Kéan's deep bodied Sumatra Tano Batak.
What's to love besides the coffee?
The social implication of a former coffee chain mogul going back to his roots by opening two coddled coffee houses makes it hard to do anything but love Kéan.
Food & non-coffee beverages
- pastries & cookies, plus savory pastries
- gluten-free & vegan options
- fruit, yogurt & granola
- teas (some of which are organic and/or fair trade) & chocolate drinks
Locations
- 2043 Westcliff Dr. #100, Newport Beach 92660
- 13681 Newport Ave. #14, Tustin 92780
Portola Coffee Roasters
The Coffee
Coffee is direct sourced from families and cooperatives in Africa, Central America and South America, then roasted in house at Portola Coffee Roasters.
We love:
the chocolate and almond full body of Portola's Trifecta-brewed Alchemistic.
What's to love besides the coffee?
Portola pays farmers and cooperatives 25%-50% more than Fair Trade regulations mandate. Drinking this coffee truly changes lives.
Food & non-coffee beverages
- pastries
- light breakfast & lunch fare
- tea and hot chocolate
- lavender & rose lemonades
Locations
- 3313 Hyland Ave., Ste. B2 (at The Mix in SoCo), Costa Mesa 92626
- 2493 Park Ave. (inside Union Market in The District), Tustin 92782
- 201 E. 4th St., Space 103 (in The Fourth Street Market), Santa Ana 92701
- 143 N. Glassell St. (in Old Towne Orange), Orange 92886
- 21058 Pacific Coast Highway, Space 170 (in Lot 579), Huntington Beach 92648
- 27741 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo 92691
The Lost Bean
The Coffee
Fair trade, organic coffees are small-batch roasted on site, then packaged in hand-decorated bags at The Lost Bean.
We love:
The Lost Bean's rich, earthy Sumatra as a freshly roasted pour over.
What's to love besides the coffee?
It's a toss-up what we love more: the use of fluid bed roasting (which gives coffee a more subtle flavor, and can even minimize coffee's usual stomach upset factor), or Bodie, the owner who will actually take the time to sit and chat about it.
Food & non-coffee beverages
- pastries & quiche
- gluten-free frittata
- cut fruit
- light breakfast and lunch fare, including egg scrambles, burritos, cheese plate, tapas
- organic teas
- seasonal beers and wines, sangria
Locations
- 13011 Newport Ave., Tustin 92780
- Coming soon: an Anaheim location
Tru Bru Coffee
The Coffee
Mostly fair trade -and all organic- coffees are roasted in small batches on site at Tru Bru.
We love:
the full body of Tru Bru's medium roast Guatemala.
What's to love besides the coffee?
There's something special about looking out a coffee shop window to see riders trotting along a horse trail, especially in the otherwise human-congested Orange County. Bonus points to Tru Bru for being just yards away from a hitching post!
Food & non-coffee beverages
- pastries
- a small breakfast and lunch menu including eggs, a cheese plate, sandwiches, soups
- vegan & gluten-free options
- organic teas
- local beers, California red wines, imported white wines, mimosas, sangria
Location
- 7626 E. Chapman Ave. Ste. D, Orange 92868
What did we miss?
Do you have another favorite fair trade direct trade coffee shop in Orange County?
Let us know in the comments!
Love coffee? Enjoyed this post?
Pin it!
Our favorite gadgets for at-home coffee brewing:
We participate in Amazon's affiliate program, which allows sites to earn advertising fees. There is no additional cost to readers making Amazon purchases through our site.