Why We Created Tracer Coffee

From family farms in Colombia to your morning mug—this is our story.

It didn’t start with a business plan.It started with a walk through the hills of Colombia, where the coffee trees grow tall under native shade, the air is crisp, and every step smells like earth and history.

We didn’t set out to create a coffee brand. We set out to protect something sacred.

It Started With Our Roots

My name is Gina, and I am the founders of Tracer Coffee. But before I was a founder, I was just a person re-learning what really matters—my heritage, my family, and the hands behind every bean we’ve ever brewed.

Eduardo’s (my partner) family owns a small coffee farm in Concordia, Antioquia, perched high in the Andes, surrounded by fog and tradition. His father still walks the land every morning, checking the trees like they’re old friends. My own family has roots relatively nearby. These are places that raised us. Farms that helped raise our parents. And yet, when I returned during the pandemic to reconnect, what I saw hit me harder than I expected.

The farms were still producing incredible coffee. The kind that wins awards if you know where to submit it. But the people? They were struggling. Prices had dropped. Costs had gone up. And no matter how good the coffee was, the math didn’t work out.

That’s the moment everything shifted.

The Problem We Couldn’t Unsee

Here’s the thing: most people drinking specialty coffee will never meet the farmers who grow it. They’ll never see the steep mountain slopes where cherries are picked by hand. They won’t see the tiny drying patios, or the long nights spent turning beans to make sure they dry evenly. They don’t know how many things can go wrong between a good harvest and a good paycheck.

The truth is, the further coffee travels, the more invisible the farmer becomes. And the more invisible they are, the easier it is for people to profit off them, not with them.

We couldn’t unsee that.

So we decided to do something about it.

Why “Tracer”?

The name came to us during a conversation about military service (Gina is a veteran), and the idea of tracer rounds—bright, visible bullets that light the way, showing exactly where they’re going.

That’s what we wanted for our coffee. Clarity. Visibility. Truth. We didn’t want you to just drink it. We wanted you to trace it.

To know where it came from. Who grew it. What the variety is. How it was processed. What makes it special. Not in some abstract “Colombian” kind of way, but this-farm, this-family, this-batch kind of way.

What We Actually Do

We source coffee directly from small farmers we know and love—like Cristina Escobar, a fierce, smart woman in Concordia who is producing some of the cleanest washed coffees we’ve ever tasted.

We roast small batches in Charleston, South Carolina—where we live—and test each profile until it sings. And then we show up. At farmers markets. At community pop-ups. In people’s inboxes. Online. With QR codes that take you straight to the story behind your bag.

No smoke. No mirrors. No marketing buzzwords. Just the actual truth about what’s in your cup.

And Yes—It’s Personal

This business isn’t just business. It’s our family’s legacy. It’s our late nights, our saved-up dollars, our name on every bag. We don’t cut corners, because we’ve met the people who’d be hurt by that.

And there’s something else.

We donate 10% of our profits to support mental health programs, especially for veterans. That’s a pillar of who we are. Because coffee brings people together. It creates quiet moments, open conversation, connection. And sometimes that small daily ritual is what helps someone get through a hard season.

We want Tracer to be more than delicious. We want it to be meaningful.

So What’s In a Cup of Tracer?

It’s not just caffeine. It’s not just taste notes (though, let’s be honest, our Chiroso does have the most incredible citrus finish).

It’s the farmer who got up before sunrise to pick cherries. It’s the roaster who tasted every batch until it was dialed. It’s the woman at the market who told us it reminded her of her abuela’s farm. It’s the man who said it was the first time he drank coffee black—and liked it. It’s the story, the soil, the soul of where it came from.

Every cup is traceable, purposeful, and made with more care than we can put into words.

What’s Next?

We’re just getting started.

We’re expanding our offerings. Building new direct relationships. Roasting new varieties. Hosting tastings. Working on wholesale. Planning pop-ups. Shipping coffee to people who want to drink something real.

And we’re going to keep telling stories. Not ours—theirs. Because the world needs to hear from the people who’ve been invisible for too long.

If you’ve been supporting us—thank you. You’re the reason we’re able to keep this going. If this is your first time hearing about Tracer, welcome. There’s a mug waiting for you.

No matter where you are in your coffee journey, we invite you to trace it back with us. One cup at a time.