On the evening of October 16th, nearly 100 fans of Hinsdale’s Café La Fortuna gathered at the Hinsdale Library for an in-person book launch of “The Inspiring Story of Café La Fortuna.” It was authored by Proprietor Angela Lavelli and her daughter, Alejandra L. Franco.

The book is a behind-the-scenes look at how and why the coffee they offer is so special and has become so well-known and regarded. The first part is an excellent primer on the history of coffee beans; where they are grown, their varieties, and how beans are processed.

The second part is the story of how Angela got involved with the coffee bean growing business, and then, how she and her family moved from Mexico and opened Café La Fortuna in Hinsdale in 2012, using a single origin beans with no blends from Chiapas, Mexico.

At the launch, Angela and Alejandra both shared the challenge and how they learned together what it takes to put together both an excellent history of the coffee industry, and a family memoir all in one well-done, short volume of less than 50 pages.