Meet Tanya Celdran-trocino | Dayon Coffee Co. Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tanya Celdran-trocino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tanya, is there something you believe many others might not?
Sticking to the business plan—When we first started, we had our sights set on a mobile craft beverage trailer and a solid business plan to match. We had a great Oceanside location lined up and had even gotten the pre approval for the city permits. But we hit some major roadblocks—construction delays on the trailer and some unexpected challenges with the health department that was out of our hands.

Over the course of the year, we were occasionally reevaluating and adjusting our approach. We rolled with the punches ended up with a whole new approach. Looking back, if we’d stuck to the original business plan without any flexibility, we probably would’ve never been able to open. Being able to adapt when things weren’t going as planned is what really allowed us to make our vision a reality.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I love coffee! As kids, my siblings & I spent time on the family farm where we watched adults making coffee the old fashioned way. They’d grind beans on a huge wooden mortar and pestle, wrap the ground in cloth, and steep them in hot water. The smell, the joy, the community– it’s what inspired our love for coffee. Now, I’m here to share that love.

Making coffee feels second nature, but getting here has it’s fair share of challenges. I became a stay at home mom shortly after our daughter was born. 7 years later, it was incredibly challenging to get back into the workforce & in a completely new field– from healthcare to coffee . Employers were hesitant to take a chance. So we, my family, took a chance on me & we embarked on this adventure- head first. Haha!

We wanted to have a tiny beverage trailer that focuses on using premium ingredients, uses ethically sourced coffee- going beyond fair trade, uses high quality tea, and does not use high fructose corn syrups. We wanted to create & serve a better cup w/ cleaner ingredients. We are small but trying to do our fair share towards sustainability. More than half of our disposable materials are compostable & we are slowly working our way towards making most of them compostable. We want the world to know this because ingredients, sourcing, & sustainability matters.

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?
Ooooooh, there so many good places to visit here!

After airport pick up, we love taking family and friends to Liberty Public Market. It’s close to the airport & a nice space to stretch & eat. Then we drive down to North County & get on the Coastal Road around Encinitas, down to Carlsbad then Oceanside. Desserts at Ricos Antojitos on Mission Ave. is always a pit stop. Other dessert spots we go to are Stella Jeans for the Ube & mango sticky rice ice cream, Little Fox, & Elena’s Crepe in downtown O’side. Dinner at Pho Oceanside always hits the spot. Other places we take them to eat is Raki Raki on Convoy then Somi Somi for dessert. There’s Privateer, Wrench & Rodent, Gaja Koren BBQ, Don’s Country Kitchen for their Country fried steak, Primos, Prime Burger, and Thai Table– their food is so good.

Oceanside Sunset Market on Thursdays is always a fun one, stroll, eat, shop around downtown Oceanside, & then a walk down the pier. We also take them to Sunday North County Fishermen’s Market, specially when there’s kids, a short walk from there are the sea lions. Park the van at the harbor & just hang out. Loco Moco at Bucaneer then drive up to Carlsbad Village & spend some time there. Strolling around the shops of Encinitas is also on the bucket list.
Balboa Park, Old Town, Mission San Luis Rey are all nice places to take guests to. Saturday, we take them to Irvine Spectrum Center for the silent disco & wheel.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Steve, my husband, for holding it down. Francis, our son for always showing up & plays an integral role with recipe formulations. Malaya, our daughter who did not doubt us for one moment. Family & friends who kept cheering us on & were our first taste testers. And to everyone who shows up & has supported us, it is because of their support that we are able to keep on doing what we love!

Website: https://dayoncoffee.com

Instagram: dayoncoffeeco

Image Credits
Steve, Francis C, Ben Y