We were lucky to catch up with Kristin Lacy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kristin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I was a barista in my hometown in Oklahoma for a long time, and I loved seeing the power of coffee (and coffee shops) to bring diverse people together in the community. I always dreamed, “maybe I’ll open my own café someday!) Then, I worked with coffee farmers in Guatemala and learned more about the supply chain issues, and how much more credit farmers deserved! When I moved back to Denver from Guatemala, I met Vivi (a Guatemalan living in Denver) and told her about my dream to build a bilingual café, where all are welcome, and the farmers and places where the coffee comes from are more valued and celebrated. It took many years to get together the capital, the planning, make the connections – and get the bravery – but we finally did it in 2020!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers? 

Convivio Café is a women- and immigrant-owned, Guatemalan-inspired, bilingual café in the northside of Denver. We serve farmer-roasted coffee and tea, meaning the coffee is roasted by the same farmers that grew it, which keeps more profits in the hands of farmers and in producing countries. We also serve delicious Central American themed pastries, antojitos (snacks) and street food – everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is made in house fresh daily. We pride ourselves on prioritizing Colorado-grown produce, and valuing farmers any and every time we can with our choice of ingredients.

What sets you apart from others?

What sets us apart is of course our delicious food and drink, and our value for farmers, but at the end of the day its really about our hospitality. Our whole team is bilingual and proud of their Latinx roots and connections. We believe hospitality can make us all better in the world, and we want to be at the forefront of building more inclusive spaces in Denver, where all are welcome.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Vivi and I met in the non-profit world. I was running programs at a food-based non-profit and she volunteered to teach a kitchen class. We started speaking (Guatemalan) Spanish, talked about food and culture and hospitality, and fell in love! It’s so hard to find a business partner to help propel your dream into reality, and I feel like I hit the jackpot. I would say the lessons I take from our relationship is: (1) Do the things you love, you’ll meet the right people (aka cooking in the non-profit world and sharing culture). (2) You should like each other, but you don’t have to be besties and spend all your time together. Vivi and I give each other a healthy space to enjoy the things outside of the business that we love, and we also make sure to celebrate our differences. (3) Its GREAT to be different – Vivi is a marketing guru and amazing with visuals, instagram, and of course cooking; I’m better at financials, organization, “behind the scenes” and of course coffee. We’re both great at community and connection. We learned not to compete but to love that about the other, and build on our collective strengths. I COULD NOT have made this dream a reality without another person with the same passion, but different and complimentary skills.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Authenticity. Our brand is really focused on support for farmers, valuing the land and the people that make the things we love to eat and drink. And we really center that in everything we do – what ingredients we buy, what stories we choose to promote on our marketing, who we hired as staff in the café, how we spend our “extra” money, what products we choose to bake in the café. I think people can feel that authenticity and commitment to values that we all share, and they love it. People FEEL warmth, connection, artistry, community when they’re in the café, and it keeps them coming back.

Plus, Vivi and I are here every day working – so that authenticity in terms of working hard builds a lot of fans.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.conviviocafe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/convivio_cafe_co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=convivio%20caf%C3%A9%20co
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@conviviocafecolorado6218