The Story
Mother Tongue Coffee was founded in 2019 by Jen Apodaca, a roaster with over fifteen years of experience at some of the most respected names in specialty coffee . Before launching her own project, Jen roasted for McMenamin’s, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, and The Crown, building a reputation as one of the most skilled and knowledgeable roasters in the industry . She is a certified Q-Grader, former chair of the Coffee Roasters Guild of America, and the 2019 United States Cup Tasters Champion, a title that confirmed what her peers already knew: Jen has one of the most refined palates in the business.
In 2017, two years before founding Mother Tongue, Jen created the #shestheroaster movement, a visibility campaign designed to highlight and encourage women working as professional coffee roasters . The initiative drew attention to the fact that women were significantly underrepresented in roasting roles across the industry and helped inspire a new generation of female roasters to pursue the craft . That advocacy work became inseparable from the ethos of Mother Tongue itself.
Mother Tongue opened its flagship and sole cafe in April 2023 at 308 41st Street in Oakland, between Broadway and Emerald Street . The cafe and roastery serves as a physical home for everything the brand represents: precision roasting, ethical sourcing, and a commitment to building a more equitable coffee industry . In 2025, Mother Tongue was recognized as the best coffee shop and cafe in the East Bay, a testament to how quickly the operation has earned the trust of its community.
Sourcing & Relationships
Mother Tongue’s sourcing philosophy is built on the principle that coffee is not a charity but a business . Jen pays premium prices to the producers she partners with, viewing fair compensation not as generosity but as a baseline requirement for a functional and sustainable supply chain . This approach ensures that the farmers growing exceptional coffee can continue investing in quality and supporting their communities.
The roastery sources from producers who share its values, with offerings that frequently feature coffees from Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, and Kenya . Jen’s Q-Grader certification and competition experience inform her green buying decisions, resulting in a selection that consistently scores high on the cupping table and delivers in the cup . As a women and Latinx-owned business, Mother Tongue also brings a perspective to sourcing that centers equity and representation at every level of the supply chain.
Roasting Philosophy
Jen Apodaca approaches roasting with the precision of a competitor and the intuition of someone who has been developing profiles for over a decade and a half . Her second-place finish at the 2022 US Roasters Championship speaks to her technical command, but it is her daily practice of cupping and refining that keeps Mother Tongue’s coffees at a consistently high level . She describes herself as a roaster’s roaster, someone who finds deep satisfaction in the craft itself rather than just the product it yields.
Mother Tongue’s roast profiles tend toward the lighter end of the spectrum, with an emphasis on sweetness, clarity, and balanced acidity . Each coffee is developed to express its origin character without imposing roast-driven flavors, a philosophy that rewards careful brewing and attentive tasting . The result is a lineup that feels both approachable and revelatory, designed to meet everyday drinkers where they are while still offering depth for those who want to explore.
What to Try
Bittersweet is one of Mother Tongue’s signature offerings, a blend that balances complexity with accessibility and serves as a strong introduction to the brand’s roasting style . For drinkers who prefer single origins, the rotating selection is where Jen’s sourcing expertise really shines, with each lot chosen to highlight a specific combination of origin, variety, and processing . Ethiopian offerings from Mother Tongue are particularly worth seeking out, as Jen’s palate and roasting skill bring exceptional clarity to the florals and fruit notes these coffees are known for.
Mother Tongue sells online and through their Oakland cafe, with coffees available as one-time purchases or through subscription . The cafe itself is worth a visit for anyone passing through the East Bay, offering a chance to experience Jen’s coffees brewed by a team that understands them intimately . Whether you are a seasoned specialty coffee drinker or someone just beginning to explore light roast coffee, Mother Tongue provides an entry point backed by one of the most credentialed roasters in the country.