La Mulita Coffee
A specialty coffee bar and roastery highlighting multiple growing regions in Colombia, La Mulita Coffee (15 Sagamore Road, Rye, lamulitacoffee.com, @lamulitacoffee on Facebook and Instagram) is the brainchild of Max Pruna, who himself was born and raised in the Colombian city of Medellín. After moving to the Granite State to attend graduate school at Southern New Hampshire University, Pruna held multiple corporate jobs over a period of several years, followed by a stint working in real estate. In 2015, he attended a talk and coffee tasting given by George Howell, a veteran in the specialty coffee world and the owner of George Howell Coffee, based in Acton, Massachusetts. “I was attracted to the fact that the coffee was from Colombia, and when I sipped on it, I was just blown away,” Pruna said. “I ended up introducing myself to George and then started going to attend his public coffee sessions in Boston. … He recommended books to me, [and] I just started going down this rabbit hole of pursuing knowledge in specialty coffee. Since I was from Colombia, it just kind of clicked in my head to start learning more and more.” Eventually, Pruna started roasting coffee out of his own garage and giving it to neighbors, family and friends. While driving his kids to school one day, he came across the space that is now La Mulita. In addition to serving specialty Colombian coffees and espresso drinks, La Mulita partners with several other local businesses to offer food items like bagels, doughnuts and scones. The Scene recently caught up with Pruna to talk about some of his personal favorite coffee blends and what you can expect when you visit his shop.
How long has La Mulita Coffee been around?
We started the business in September 2019, so right before [the pandemic] hit. … We closed in February of 2020 and reopened again in July. So we had a bit of a tough start, but now we’re doing incredibly well. … La Mulita translates to ‘little mule.’ It’s a symbol for the preferred animal used by the farmers in Colombia to help them transport the coffee cherries from the mountains down to the mills.
What makes La Mulita Coffee unique?
It’s a combination of factors, but primarily it’s that we focus only on Colombian coffees. … We cover five regions in Colombia from south to north, and I travel down there at least once a year to build a direct connection with the farmers that we like to work with. We mostly buy from farms that are between 2 and 5 acres, which are small farms. That enables us to pay them a much higher price for quality coffee.
What is your favorite coffee blend or drink on your menu?
I think I love every coffee for its uniqueness, and the beauty of coffee is that it changes every harvest. Coffee is a fruit with many different varieties, like an apple. … I like to start with a darker roast in the morning and end up with a lighter roast in the afternoon.
What is something everyone should try?
Coffee is a journey, and we all have different preferences. I always tell people to start with a Mule Kick, which is a darker roast on our menu … and then we give them a little bit of a taste of medium and then a lighter roast and see where their comfort zone is. … The lighter you go, the more acidity and less body you have on the coffee.
What celebrity would you like to see ordering from La Mulita Coffee?
Sofía Vergara, just because she is from Colombia, and she loves coffee. I would love to see her someday in our store.
What is an essential skill to running this type of business?
With any entrepreneurial journey, you have to have a passion for what you’re doing, and I’ve experienced that both on the real estate side and on the coffee side. … In my case, I feel lucky because when I’m having a hard day, I just think about the farmers we work with back in Colombia. That itself is what drives me day in and day out, knowing that every cup of coffee I serve here is helping a farmer back there.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I don’t know if it’s [because of] the ocean or the activities you get to do here, but I feel like people are so much happier on the Seacoast. We have a great community around us. … I also love the proximity to the ocean. Being able to escape to the beach on a summer day and just putting your feet in the sand is priceless.
— Matt Ingersoll
Courtesy photo.
