I came across this cute little café with an interesting wall art at some point this winter when I had something to do at the nearby Ajuntamiento (council). It stuck in my mind as it was here that I first tried the famous Japanese style cheesecake. It looked and tasted so good that I scoffed it before I even remembered to take a photo. Those who know me well know how rare it is for me to eat a cake or a pastry before taking a photo of it!

As I came to speak to the people behind La Finca, a few weeks ago, I was given a couple of cakes to try. Both were just as good as that cheesecake which is apparently only on their winter menu. First up, there was a beautifully presented carrot cake. Unusually, it was cut into a square, rather than a typical slice of a round cake. The base was made of chocolate, dried fruits and nuts. Then came an elaborately piped cheese frosting – perfectly tangy and fresh. All this was topped with summer fruits including strawberries and blueberries. Most importantly, the taste was just as good as the presentation. The second “cake” I tried was, in fact, a vegan chocolate bar made up of a gluten free biscuit base and a creamy yet chewy concoction of pure cocoa and agave, sprinkled with crushed nuts. I loved both of those cakes, but as I was visiting on what was probably the hottest day of the summer of 2021, I could not finish them. I took the leftovers home and enjoyed them even more the next day.

Sebastian Chavez and Juan Pablo Camed met in Madrid, where they both worked in hospitality. They did a few seasons in Cala d´Or, on the east side of Mallorca, which made them think about opening their own café. Debating between Madrid and Palma, they decided to go for Palma as they felt that, at the time, the specialty coffee scene here was still in very early stages and they could carve a good opportunity for themselves in that space. This was four years ago.

Juan and Sebastian chose the “local” we are sitting in because it is in an “up and coming” part of Palma; close both to the sea and to the old town. It is on the popular Avenidas and has a lovely sun filled terrace. There is a college nearby and some of their customers inevitably come from there, but the rest are made up of neighbours as well as people from all over Palma. They serve locals and tourists probably in an equal measure.

Juan tells me that they know some of the other guys on the specialty coffee scene, such as Alejandro of Mama Carmen´s and Cristobal of Bacan (both of whom I have interviewed earlier this year). He feels that they are forming a specialty coffee community here, where guys treat each other like a family. Each of them does their own thing, has their own style, but they support each other rather than compete against each other and this is so nice to hear.

La Finca is not a vegan place; their philosophy is “a little bit of everything”, while using the ingredients that are as healthy as they can be. They are also heavily into supporting the local economy. For example, they use eggs from a farm here in Mallorca and fresh milk from Menorca.

In terms of coffee, they have a couple of providers at the moment. One is a well-known local roaster Mistral, and the other is Fjord Coffee from Berlin in Germany. And, I can’t emphasize this strongly enough: the coffee here is excellent! In fact, when I asked Juan what people come to La Finca for the most, his unhesitant answer was: the coffee! Aside from that, people also love their version of the omnipresent avocado toast and they offer a “plate of the day”, with recipes that are often a fusion of Mallorcan, South American, African and other influences.

As I am primarily interested in sweet treats, Sebastian and Juan tell me about some of their most popular choices. Sebastian says that their brownie with tahini is really sought after. Their banana bread is also often asked for and they make it into a pretty plate: they toast it, top it up with a kind of a cream cheese and add fruit to it. Another popular choice, as at several other places around town, is cinnamon or cardamom rolls. Theirs come from a small bakery in C/ Velasques named AM bakery.

As I came for this chat, I met a guy who was working there on his laptop and was just packing up his mobile office for a day. As soon as I see people being comfortable enough to spend a few hours somewhere, that place immediately gets the thumbs up from me! A great coffee accompanied by a beautifully presented, super tasty carrot cake is an added bonus, of course!

By Mia Naprta
E-mail: mia.naprta@gmail.com
Instagram: @mianaprta

Photos: Personal archive unless otherwise stated.

La Finca
C/ de l’Escola Graduada 5, 07002 Palma
Tel: +34 871 53 61 30
Instagram: @lafincamallorca_
Open: 8:30-16h Mon-Fri
Bike and pet friendly
Eat in or take-away