Cannabis cafés are a dream for many American consumers. The People’s Ecosystem (TPE) is helping to make that a reality for those in New Mexico as they welcome established coffee shop Stoic Café into the brand family.
Stoic Café founders Julio Padilla and Clara Padilla Andrews (former New Mexico Secretary of State) are the cousin and grandmother respectively to Melanie Davis, COO and Director of Managed Services for TPE.
Padilla started the New Mexico CBD café in the area after identifying a need for somewhere to hang out that didn’t revolve around alcohol. Through this partnership, Davis is celebrating a return to where she grew up.
“Look, a long time ago I had to flee the war on drugs in New Mexico. As a young person who didn’t understand my queerness growing up here and that knew the mathematical deviation the war had taken on our families and communities, my only option was to go – and it took me 25 years to finally come home,” Davis shared with GreenState.
Davis returned home intending to heal herself and a state that has been a victim of tragedy and loss caused by the war on drugs. The café is a flagship space for this healing mission. Its walls house community and the menu shares the therapeutic potential of food and drink through CBD-infused offerings that inspire conversations on health.
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“I believe that at Stoic Café, in partnership with our company, The People’s Ecosystem, by offering CBD and other unique plant medicine like organic teas and coffees, we can open the conversation with our communities, open the hearts of our customers, and open the path to healing,” Davis said.
The Stoic Café menu features CBD-infused dishes and beverages using Azuca, an infused sugar product locally made in New Mexico. Stoic also works with CNE Labs, a California company that develops TPE formulations, to infuse the menu.
These crucial partnerships created space for creative dishes and beverages, like the Coconut Honey Matcha featuring 25 milligrams (mg) of CBD. The exceptionally balanced flavors at play, Davis says, convert even the matcha-skeptical into enjoying a cup.
Stoic also sells beans roasted in-house, recently adding CBD coffee beans to the lineup. A local 5,000 square foot facility recently launched by The People’s Ecosystem produces the beans.
“The first product off our line is my own personal brand of infused coffee beans called Dosed Roast for connoisseurs everywhere,” Davis explained. “It is yet to be widely understood that CBD effectively enhances caffeinated energy flow while combating jitters and the inevitable crash post caffeine consumption.”
Stoic will host Chef Charleen Caabay this month to craft a dish just in time for Juneteenth. The TPE Chief Innovation Officer and co-founder is a seasoned chef and restaurateur who won an episode of Food Network’s Chopped.
The café won’t just be infusing menu items, either. Hemp and CBD products are also available for purchase. The People’s Wellness CBD product line, Empower Body Care bath salts and luxury goods, and MAISON BLOOM hemp beverages are a few products that are available in the space.
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While working with family can often be a challenge Davis is enjoying stepping back onto New Mexico soil to use her decades of entrepreneurial experience. This reverent celebration was evident in a comment she left on a recent LinkedIn share.
The post featured a photo of Davis, TPE co-founder Christine De La Rosa, and fellow drug war survivor New Mexican Frank Willis, another member of the TPE brand family.
Stoic Café is open Tuesday through Sunday in Albuquerque, NM. Every Sunday, they celebrate the power of CBD with a complimentary dose from Azuca while supplies last. The space is available for community gatherings, infused dining experiences, and other private bookings.
Cannabis brings the community together, so it’s no surprise that CBD cafés are doing the same. At Stoic, that means providing a space to gather that doesn’t revolve around alcohol and creating a menu featuring healthful ingredients, inspiring conversations about the plant.