Meet Andrew

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

Hi Andrew, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first started my business, I had no idea what I wanted. I had a few ideas tossed around for a name, brand, and location. The name was picked by verbally randomly saying different names while I was driving, and Cafeina sounded nice. I did a quick Google search, and it was available, surprisingly. My birthday is on November 2nd, which is Day of the Dead, so my thought was to create a brand that wrapped the idea around sugar skulls and the holiday. I had no intentions of anything except that I thought it was “cool.” Granted, I was only 24 then, young, and had zero business, marketing, and branding experience. I chose City Heights because I grew up in the area. It made sense to me to open up in the same community I grew up in. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into except that it was cool, I was opening up a coffee shop!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Over the years, I’ve had time to self-reflect, tune in my coffee, and connect closer to my roots. My family is from Honduras and El Salvador. I have different identities, including being born in the US. My focus is to represent my roots and tell my story through coffee. Im proud to serve a community that is a minority when it comes to Latin countries in San Diego. Besides the story of who, getting to where I am today has been tough. Any small business owner reading this can relate. My original career path was to become a nurse, so when I did a 180 to start the cafe, I started from virtually nothing, and now, 6 years in, I’ve learned so much more than what school could’ve taught me. Im still a huge advocate of going to school. School and education are a tool. We need tools in life to build our future. I want people to know that anyone can open a coffee shop and make great drinks, but it’s not for everyone to start something and keep it sustainable. There are so many challenges ahead that will test you. It’s the truth.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you want great Central American food, visit El Salvadoreno restaurant on Imperial Ave. Also, search online for at least 10 coffee shops, and most likely you’ll have a good experience at most places! I enjoy Balboa Park. I would always hang out there as a kid and still do as an adult. I truly enjoy nature.

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?
There are so many people I would love to name-drop, but I’m going to keep it broad. Without their mentorship and guidance, I would not be who I am today and where I am currently with my business. The local organizations in City Heights have been super supportive of my journey. I’ve had a few regulars who have now become close friends, and we still continue to work together because of our dynamics. It’s hard to find people who just get you sometimes. I also thank all. The people who have burned me aswell while running my business. They are your true lessons. Cant forget about that group of folks that say they got you but at the end the outcome is another story.

Website: https://www.cafeinacafe.com

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Image Credits
Jorge Augilar : Photographer