Meet Claudia Navarro-Soto | Dog Lover and first generation college graduate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claudia Navarro-Soto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claudia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I remember when I was a little girl growing up in Mexico, I always had big dreams! I wanted to be someone successful! I wanted to earn a degree, have an education, and one day have my own business and be my own boss! I didn’t know exactly what kind of business I wanted to have. But, it became clear I wanted to start a dog related business when my fiancée and I got our frenchie in 2018. We thought about many ideas but we decided on the harnesses since that is the walking accessory our frenchie always needs.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Getting to where I am has not being easy, and I am so proud of where I am because I had to struggle a lot to achieve any of my dreams and goals. I was born in Mexico and ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to earn a college degree and one day be my own boss. I also remember wanting to pet every dog that I came across. But, everything changed when at the age of 13 I had to move the U.S. I came here as an undocumented child and all my dreams were crushed. I thought I was never going to accomplish my childhood dreams, because of my legal status. I dropped out of community college thinking that I’ll never be able to pay for it and also I was afraid for people to find out that I was undocumented but I still had hope that maybe one day I can still be successful somehow. In 2013 I became a DACA recipient and that gave me hope, I was able to find a better job and achieve some of my personal goals. In 2017, my fiancé pushed me to go back to college and pursue my dream of earning my degree. It wasn’t easy but in 2020 I graduated from CSULB and I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. This meant everything to me! Like I was unstoppable! When the pandemic started my fiancé and I also decided we needed to start the business we always wanted to start which was something dog related because, in 2018 we got a French bulldog named Mocha, who we love with all of our hearts and he gave us the inspiration to start our business. We felt that even though there was many dog brands out there, there was not one that represented our culture! And that’s how Mocha and Amigos got started! It’s the combination of the love for our dog as well as the love for our Mexican culture. We love our dog and we wanted to also represent our culture through him! This harness line is so special to me because it takes me back to my childhood in Mexico. It reminds me of how beautiful my culture is, and it brings back beautiful memories I had growing up that I can now share with other people like me. That, one day had to cross the border for a better life but never forgot their culture and want to keep it alive in every way possible. That to me, means so much to always show people where I come from and that no matter your situation, or your legal status is, you can achieve your dreams! You just have to believe in yourself! And keep working towards your dreams even when they almost seem impossible to achieve! It might take a long time, you might have to struggle a lot, you might have to break a lot of barriers but at the end it will mean so much more and it will be so much more meaningful because of your struggle! Si se puede!!!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting for a week I would make sure that we start our day by having some delicious coffee and breakfast everyday! For coffee I would take her to Confidential Coffee in Long Beach, as well as Postres Cafe in Bellflower and Patria Coffee in Compton! Then for breakfast I would love to take her to The Pan as well as Ubuntu Cafe both in Long Beach. I would also make sure to take them to Tempo Cantina for a drink and of course to the beach and to downtown Long Beach as well as second street for some night time fun!

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?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my fiancé Juan. He has believed in me more than I have believed in myself sometimes. He has always pushed me to better myself, to go back to school and get my degree to not be afraid to follow my dreams even when I was a DACA and undocumented student. If it wasn’t for him, this would not be possible!

Website: Www.mochaandamigos.com

Instagram: @mochaandamigos

Other: Tiktok @mochaandamigos