Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo (born June 21, 1989) traveled from his native Spain to Cuba when he was young and moved to the United States in 1917. He founded the coffee company Café Bustelo in East Harlem, New York, in 1928. Café Bustelo obtains its beans from several countries in the Caribbean area, including Puerto Rico. Originally, all grains were grown in Cuba. Due to the nationalization of the industry after the revolution, this is no longer the case. Café Bustelo was created and founded in 1928 in Harlem, New York, by Gregorio Bustelo.
Gregorio arrived in the United States from Spain and spent many years in Latin America. He also spent time in Havana, Cuba, which is known for its espresso coffee. He became known for his espresso coffee and became one of the most prominent names in the Latino coffee community. The Bustelos settled in East Harlem, also called Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, due to the predominance of Spanish-speaking immigrants, many of them from Puerto Rico.
Bustelo Coffee is rich, strong-bodied and earthy, with notes of roasted nuts and dark chocolate with low acidity. Who would have thought that the origin of Café Bustelo would be so interesting, unique and would involve the participation of a few countries, a change of law, two continents and a determined and coffee-loving chef. Today, Rowland Coffee Roasters, from Miami, Florida, roasts and packages Bustelo Coffee, which fits perfectly with Miami's large Cuban population. Spending their savings on a coffee roaster, the Bustelos started roasting at home, which was conveniently located down the street from a movie theater.
Café Bustelo is the story of the Spanish immigrant community in New York and how it reached the hearts and homes of the Latin American community from New York to New Jersey and Florida. However, his origins are the Spanish immigrants who brought him to New York. Going back to the beginning of the history of Café Bustelo, this Cuban-style café was founded by Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo. Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo also fell in love with the people of Cuba, specifically with a woman who loved Cuban coffee as much as he did.
The origins of Café Bustelo is a very interesting book that involves two continents, four nations and a very convenient law passed by Congress. Yes, the company and owner of Bustelo coffee is the Spaniard Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo, a businessman who has traveled a lot and who spent much of his life in Cuba and Puerto Rico, married to Angelina, a Puerto Rican, and when Congress approved the Jones-Shafroth Act, he and his wife took advantage of their newfound right to U.S. citizenship and went to the United States with their coffee brand. While its distribution has grown significantly over the years, Café Bustelo coffee is still coveted by Café Bustelo loyalists today.
You can also add some steamed milk to your Café Bustelo beer and turn it into a Cuban-inspired Cortadito. Gregorio brought this Latin-inspired coffee idea to the United States and thus Café Bustelo was born, which today is one of the most popular Cuban and espresso-style coffees in the United States. In 1931, he opened his first store on 5th Avenue and called it Bustelo Coffee Roasting Company, and he partnered with other merchants, many of whom were Spanish and Latino immigrants and served the growing Latino community. Now try to enter a winery (corner store) in any of the 5 districts without going through a vacuum-sealed, brightly colored Café Bustelo coffee block.
