Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Daniela and Julio Contreras Zulueta, owners of REAL Café Mexicano, located in Nobleford, Alberta, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Real Café Mexicano, our goal is to simplify. We want to offer a high-quality product that adapts to your routine and does not necessarily require the purchase of special or expensive devices to make a good cup of coffee. We firmly believe the secret to brewing the perfect cup every time is, and always will be, in the bean.
What we do is source high-grade, shade-grown, single-origin coffee beans from Mexican farms, develop the best roasting profile that is unique to each bean, and package the goods for online purchase.
Tell us about yourself
The idea of importing high-quality coffee to Canada came to us while finishing off the last cup of delicious ground coffee we had brought back from visiting our family in Mexico. Since living in Southern Alberta, we have successfully, although at times with great difficulty, separated ourselves from several Mexican food ingredients, traditions, and customs. Coffee never made it onto that list. Our main motivation has been to bring a higher quality product to Southern Alberta while paying a fair wage to the farmer and building sustainable relationships.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our biggest accomplishment, we would say, is having built a product we are proud to talk about. We can disclose any details or answer any “uncomfortable” questions without hesitation. It is harder said than done, and it is definitely something that more prominent companies struggle to keep along the way. We are happy to place a product in the market that makes it easier for people, in general, to make more intentional purchases because we’ve done the homework for them.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Definitely committing to what made you start the business in the first place. It is always easier and cheaper to go the wrong way, but reminding ourselves of those feelings of inspiration we had from the beginning and aligning all our decisions to them makes everything worth it in the end.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Find your niche. Make sure it is beneficial for everyone along the supply chain all the way to the customer. Stick to it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.realcafemexicano.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realcafemexicano/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realcafemexicano/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
