We had the good fortune of connecting with Tudor Montague and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tudor, what do you want your legacy to be?
One of the main reasons I have followed the path that I have, is because I wanted to be able to make a positive impact in the community that I grew up in. Coming from a rural reservation here in southeastern CA, I experienced first hand, many of the difficulties faced by communities like mine. High unemployment due to lack of opportunities, lack of access to healthy and diverse food options for example, often have significant negative impacts on the population of these communities.

Moving back home and opening our cafe, The Coffee Shop, is an attempt to address these issues head on. As a result of our opening in June, 2023 we have created 5 jobs and offer delicious + healthy food options right here in our small community. The cafe also provides a safe, welcoming space for the community and guests to our community to enjoy as well. I hope I can be remembered for showing our community that there are ways we can create opportunities right here without having to leave the reservation to find them.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a small batch, specialty coffee roaster located on the Fort Yuma Quechan Reservation. I founded the company in 2015 while living in Mesa, Arizona. I moved the company back home to my reservation in 2017. While focusing on crafting the best coffee possible, we also pay attention to the impacts we have while operating. We use compostable packaging and also compost our used grounds. And, we select coffees from Indigenous or women-owned co-operatives whenever possible. Last year, we opened our first brick and mortar cafe, The Coffee Shop, here on the reservation which serves our fresh, roasted coffee along with high quality teas, and made to order food items.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are several local spots that have opened within the last couple of years and some old favorites as well. After visiting our cafe of course, I would recommend a stop over at our friends Cafecito-Yuma. They have some delicious coffee and the best avocado toast in town. Their space is beautiful and has so much to see you could easily spend a couple of hours just hanging out there. Next you can walk around downtown Yuma and visit many of the local shops there. There are too may to mention but all are within walking distance. Just a short distance from downtown is the beautiful Colorado River. You can find the river and follow the walking trails through the Yuma wetlands to walk off all of the deliciousness you enjoyed in downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
New Mexico Community Capital Native Community Capital
Quechan Tribe and the Economic Development Administration
& all of the friends, family and mentors I have had along the way

Website: www.spiritmountainroasting.com

Instagram: @spiritmountainroastingco, @thecoffeeshop_kwatsannation

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