A vertically integrated Puerto Rican coffee brand that owns its own farm has been ranked #32 among more than 4,600 coffee shops across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, placing farm-to-cup retail coffee in the spotlight at World of Coffee San Diego 2026.
787 Coffee disclosed in a June 19 press release that it earned the #32 spot in The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops for the region, a program developed by NEODRINKS in official partnership with the Specialty Coffee Association and integrated into the World of Coffee events calendar, according to a notice in the National Law Review press section.
The same press materials state that the ranking drew on a dual-validation system that combined assessments from more than 200 professional coffee judges with over 200,000 public votes, as reported by Comunicaffe. Within its markets, 787 Coffee reports that it ranked #1 in Puerto Rico and New Jersey, #1 in El Paso, #2 in Houston, and #3 in both New York City and Mexico City in the 2026 list, according to the company’s own blog.
What sets the brand apart in that field of thousands is its ownership of Hacienda Iluminada, a working coffee farm in Maricao, Puerto Rico, at approximately 3,000 feet above sea level, as detailed by Comunicaffe. The company notes on its blog that less than 1% of coffee shops in the world own a coffee farm and identifies itself as one of them, positioning its retail locations as extensions of a single farm-to-cup chain.
According to the June 19 press release carried by EINPresswire, 787 Coffee operates more than 30 locations across New York City, New Jersey, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City. The company was co-founded by CEO Brandon Ivan Peña and Sam Sepulveda, as noted in the National Law Review press item.
The farm side of the operation is central to how the brand presents its quality claims. EINPresswire reports that coffee cherries at Hacienda Iluminada are handpicked, processed using the honey method, and roasted in small batches before being served in the cafés, and Comunicaffe attributes the farm’s elevation and production practices as part of that narrative. 787 Coffee’s website further states that the farm opens to visitors with public tours every Saturday at 11 a.m.
Pena’s comments in the award announcement explicitly tie the World of Coffee recognition to this ownership model. “We didn’t start with a café. We started with a farm. While everyone else was buying beans, we were growing them. This award is proof that when you own the soil, you own the standard — and the world’s best judges just confirmed it,” he said in remarks quoted by EINPresswire and Comunicaffe.
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops program frames 787 Coffee’s position as highlighting Puerto Rican agriculture, culture, entrepreneurship, and farm-to-cup branding, according to the EINPresswire release, which also cites Peña as saying that Puerto Rico has long produced coffee “served at the Vatican and by royalty in Spain.”
In addition to its new ranking, 787 Coffee’s growth and branding have been recognized in other arenas: the National Law Review press notice lists mentions in Forbes Next 1000, Inc. Fastest Growing Companies, Real Leaders Top Impact Companies 2026—where it placed #27 globally—and a Google AI Excellence Award, while the company reports that its NuevaYOL bag was nominated for Best Design at the SCA Coffee Design Awards on its farm blog.
The organizers of The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops program state on 787 Coffee’s blog that the next continental list will focus on Europe, to be unveiled at World of Coffee Brussels from June 25–27, 2026, positioning the San Diego announcement as one step in a broader series of SCA-linked rankings.
