We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Castro and Viviana Bermudez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea and Viviana, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Oruguitas Cafe was born in 2022, from the love of two best friends, Viviana and Andrea, 1st generation Latino immigrants. Their shared love language: Coffee, a language they both learned from the traditions their families practiced as part of their daily life. Passion and love for coffee, along with the determination to build a business to leave a family legacy, led them to create the concept of Oruguitas Cafe Coffee Catering and take part in people’s most important life events: weddings, baptisms, bar-mitzvahs, birthdays, family reunions, and more.

Andrea, of Venezuelan origin, creative, and a dreamer at heart, recalls her first memory of coffee being at her grandmother’s house, it was there that she tasted her first sip of what became her favorite drink when her grandma invited her to experience this glimpse of adulthood by offering her first cup of coffee.

Viviana, of Puerto Rican origin, compassionate, and with a passion to help others in her profession and vocation, remembers that her first moment with coffee was watching her grandmother prepare it in the afternoon, that was a telltale sign that her mother was soon to arrive to pick her up after finishing her workday. In those moments her family sat around cups of coffee to chat about the day or life itself.

So, the mission for Oruguitas Cafe was clear, to bring unique experiences, filled with happiness, love, and the best coffee to their clients. And their dream is to serve and positively impact the community through Oruguitas Cafe one cup of coffee at a time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Here are the cliff notes on our founders: Andrea, is a wife, and mother of three who always knew she wanted to create something beyond a traditional career.

Viviana is a wife, mother, and professional whose secret desire was to own her own coffee cart.

For the founders, coffee is as essential as the water we drink, and the coffee industry was the obvious choice when these two best friends were brainstorming ideas to build a business that would create a legacy for their children.

This coffee catering business can help make a great impression on any event. Providing fresh, high-quality coffee and other beverages that will keep everyone feeling energized and refreshed.

They know their clients want their events to be perfect, and They’re here to help make that happen. Working to create a coffee bar that fits the style and atmosphere of the event. They also offer a variety of coffee drinks to appeal to everyone’s taste.

Both founders are especially proud of taking the leap of faith and following their dreams, opening a coffee catering business that offers the finest coffee beans and equipment to ensure that their coffee is always fresh and delicious. They are very proud of the work that they do and the impact that they have on their clients. They believe that coffee is more than just a drink, it’s a way to bring people together and create lasting memories. Oruguitas Cafe is committed to providing clients with a coffee experience that they will never forget.

When hiring Oruguitas Cafe, you can always be confident that your guests will never forget the exquisite coffee, great service, and top-notch experience.

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

The story of how these two best friends met goes back to 2009 when Andrea went to a birthday party and met her now husband. As she spent more time with him, she got to meet his best friends, one of whom is now Andrea’s best friend. Viviana had a tight group of friends, so when one of her best friends got a girlfriend, she was a bit hesitant to give her a chance. Fast forward 14 years, Viviana and Andrea are inseparable, and since they are already married, the only logical choice is to open up a business together.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The need to do everything yourself. As business owners, we quickly realized we can’t do everything ourselves. As a startup, we did not have people on staff, but needed to invest in other professionals to take care of the essential items of the business we could not do ourselves, I mean we could have, but never as well as those who specialized in each area. I.E. Design, marketing, financial forecasting, and other pillars that helped us establish a good foundation.

While starting our business we constantly heard about all the things we needed to learn, but we now know as we grow we also need to continuously unlearn to give space to the next level.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oruguitascafe.com
• Instagram: @oruguitascafe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091628025919
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oruguitas-cafe/