EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The New Mexico State University Athletics Department released their own brand of coffee — “A Mountain Roast” — to add to its collection of other NMSU-branded beverages.
Along with beer, wine and whiskey, coffee came as a natural fit to the NMSU’s branded drinks, said Athletics Director Mario Moccia.
“Coffee drinking is incredibly popular in the United States — whether it’s retirees, whether it’s students trying to wake up,” explained Moccia.
As they do on all of their other projects, NMSU Athletics collaborated with students and a small business this time too.
Moccia said “it’s a win-win-win for everyone involved” and adds how this “pandemic project” is also helping the Athletics Department, which receives a part of sales from every purchase.
He said the name came from the iconic Tortugas Mountain, also known as “A Mountain,” which overlooks the university and holds a tradition rooted in Aggie pride.
“From the 1920s, the students put white rocks up there as an “A” for Aggies and it’s been now a 100-year tradition,” explained Moccia.
With a plethora of beverages, NMSU Athletics is now looking to collaborate with the Department of Agriculture to promote locally grown produce and add some edible products to the NMSU brand.
“Salsa, hot sauce, that seems to be the next logical edible that we will be rolling out,” revealed Moccia.
The coffee beans, however, don’t come from New Mexico, but from a small coffee company called Estas Manos, based in San Francisco, Calif.
“We have been packaging here in Las Cruces and we are looking to kind of grow our roots and start selling and start roasting here in the Las Cruces area,” said Estas Manos owner Nicholas Gonzales.
Gonzales explained that his company focuses on supporting farmers and collaboration with NMSU seemed like a good fit.
He said they are looking into expanding the business in the area and into continuing their collaboration with NMSU and other local businesses.
The coffee is currently available online in all 50 states and at Toucan Market in Las Cruces.
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