December 2, 2020

Meet Kristel Valencia of Cafecito Mexican Coffee Shop in Tucker

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristel Valencia.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am the founder and owner of Cafecito Mexican Coffee Shop, a coffee shop best described as the Mexican American experience in beverage form. Proud Mexico-Americana, boy mom, first generation college grad, and full-time go getter. I launched Cafecito in August 2019 to fill a void in Atlanta, a void that many Latino/a/x/e-Americans can relate to- a place to have Cafecito outside of their homes. 1 year later, I am the recipient of the Latino Community Fund Seed Capital grant as well as the EMPOWER by GoDaddy Digital Presence grant. She is also a participant of the Made in America GoDaddy Documentary Series and guest speaker for the Made Here Podcast launching in August 2020.

I was born in Veracruz, Mexico and raised in Marietta, GA. I hold a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. After graduating college, I went on to work for The Coca-Cola Company from 2013 to 2019, first as administrative assistant in global marketing then as event coordinator handling internal company events.

Cafecito was born from one of many 3pm coffee runs with coworker and friend Claudia, a Colombiana. Claudia and I many times imagined a place where a delicious coffee was paired with a traditional Latin pastry that would allow us to revel in their beautiful Latin culture and cuisine. After much research, I found this was nonexistent in Atlanta and sought to create this experience for the rapidly growing Latin population. Not doubting for a second this was the opportunity I had been looking for to finally start my own business, I began digging deeper and planning for its execution. Cafecito now exists to cater to this need- a need engrained in cultural traditions centered around the importance of connecting with each other.

Within it’s first year of existence, Cafecito has grown from a pop up shop to a delivery service into a small kiosk space in a medical building. Covid-19 has forced Cafecito to pivot in a different direction than originally planned but making the necessary changes to continue to operate and flourish.

Today, I live in Atlanta with my 9-year-old son who is my greatest pride and joy. He actively partakes in Cafecito’s strategic planning and is already looking forward to becoming the boss one day.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This first year of operations has been far from smooth! There was absolutely no way to know that just a few months after launching, a global pandemic would change our world. We went from popping up at festivals to popping up consistently at The Window at the Met in West Atlanta to pivoting to delivery only all within the first 8 months of operating. I was training my first employee when we were forced into quarantine so we had to pause that and I continued operating as a solopreneur. Making deliveries allowed me to continue getting product into the hands of our customers but did not always allow for the best first time experience so I searched for a space that would allow for pickup and kept deliveries to 1 day per week for those who are not able to travel to the new location. It has required a lot of pivoting and flexibility in HOW Cafecito operates.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Cafecito was created with the intention of merging business with culture and sharing it with the world. The concept is a fusion of traditional Mexican with modern American which is the best way I could describe the first-generation Mexican American experience. We take traditional drinks like horchata or chocolate abuelita and add espresso to make it a latte, for example. We also use traditional ingredients like cajeta (goatmilk caramel) and cinnamon or piloncillo (raw brown sugar) to create beverage experiences that are new but rooted in a cultural experience. This also will apply to our pastries and food offerings in the future. Cafecito is founded on providing great quality coffee that is sourced responsibly. We source our beans from Cafe Campesino- a local roaster- because not only is it great quality, it comes from small farms so it benefits families in Latin America directly. Our success here means their success as well. We strive to educate and share the beauty of our culture and traditions through our products and experiences. And we hope to always, regardless of the state of the world, connect by sharing a delicious cup of Cafecito.

What were you like growing up?
I was born in Veracruz, Mexico but raised in Marietta, GA from the age of 10months old. So home is definitely here. I am the middle of 3 children and the 3 of us are very close. Although I grew up in the suburbs, I was always a lover of the city life so I knew wherever I went to college, it would have to be in the city. So Georgia State was the perfect fit. I remember it was in 7th grade that I decided I would be an international business woman. It seemed like the ideal path since I love language and culture. I always knew having my own business was the goal, I just wasn’t sure what it would be. I absolutely love to dance and fashion makes my heart happy but I found those were my creative outlets and no more. Being a child of immigrants (technically an immigrant myself) was a complex experience. In my adolescence I remember being extremely torn by the “double life” I lived. It was one way at home and another world at school or with my friends. Today, the older I get the more I am thankful to my parents for not allowing us to lose our language, traditions, and culture. Even with all its struggles, being Mexican American is something I’m extremely proud of. It has made me who I am today.

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