We recently connected with Aryana Watson and have shared our conversation below.

Aryana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I came up with the idea for our coffee cart business when I was studying abroad in Australia in 2019. I was by no means a coffee lover until I lived there and was able to experience the heart behind crafting coffee. As a Bible college student studying abroad, cafe’s and small coffee shops were one of the places I spent most of my time. I studied, spent time with God and met with colleagues and friends all while enjoying a tasty cup of joe. The cafe atmosphere held so many beautiful and cherished moments for me. Little did I know that these moments were cultivating a desire in me to create a space for others to experience the same thing. As my love for coffee grew, I joined our church’s coffee cart team which gave me some experience behind what a mobile coffee cart looked like. I thought it was incredible how something as simple as serving someone a cup of coffee and a smile turned someone’s difficult day around. Something I began to realize is that people kept coming back, not just for the coffee, but for the relationships that were being cultivated as a result of what was being provided. Fast forward to 2020, I came back to California with a mission to learn more about the coffee industry. I worked in a few specialty coffee shops from 2021 until now to not only gain experience behind the bar and learn from other’s who have executed successful coffee shops/mobile coffee carts but also see if this dream was really something worth pursuing. I’ve truly gained passion for the specialty coffee industry as the years have gone by which has given me assurance that it is a worthwhile endeavor. I began looking into what avenue I wanted to pursue to kickstart my coffee business, and a coffee cart was the most reasonable avenue to do so considering the season of life that I’m in. Coffee cart catering is up and coming for events such as weddings, corporate meetings, baby showers; basically any special event you can think of. Tons of people are looking for something to upscale and set apart their special events from the rest, and a coffee cart is a sure way to do so. While there are several coffee cart businesses popping up across the U.S., our hope is that we glorify God through our business by the way we love and serve the people we come across. Our end goal is to eventually open up a coffee shop, and I believe our coffee cart is the ground we are laying to set ourselves up for a win with a brick and mortar.

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.

We are Ary & Luis; owners of Soteria Coffee! We offer full espresso bar catering to the IE, OC and surrounding areas and would love to cater your next event! From weddings, to business meetings to baby and bridal showers, we are here to bring the specialty coffee experience to you and your guests! We pride ourselves in hand crafting each drink to order using coffee from esteemed roasters and syrups made from scratch. Our customizable packages are designed to accommodate a wide range of budgets, providing both cost-effective and extravagant event planning visions! We provide an optional tasting experience for potential clients to not only meet the faces that will be behind the bar on your event day, but also taste our selection of signature latte’s prior to booking our services. Our greatest desire is to provide you not only with the tastiest cup of joe, but with a close up experience of the joy we find in serving you intentionally crafted specialty coffee. We find great value in knowing our clients walk into their event day confident with our products and services and that they entrust us with the special moments life offers. We are most proud of how far God has brought us in our business. We started our business on a small home machine and a foldable table and have since been able to upgrade to a fully functioning coffee cart and commercial equipment which has allowed us to cater all of your special events. None of this would be possible without God, and all we do is for His glory.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn in this industry was having a gatekeeping mentality. Being in the coffee industry for 4 years, I’ve come across people that have felt threatened by other people’s desire to pursue their own coffee businesses. Whether it be a cart or a brick and mortar, there seemed to be a lack of support for those wanting to live out their dreams, and I unfortunately gave into this for some time. Naturally, I believe, it’s easy to compare your business to others in the same profession. It’s easy to grow frustration and resentment when you see others gain more followers on social media when they started their business long after you. It’s easy to grow covetous when others land high profile clientele every weekend and your inbox is empty. It wasn’t until I was hired at a specialty coffee shop in Claremont, CA that this mindset shifted. I shared with them my desire to grow my coffee business in my interview, and they extended their hands to help me without hesitation. They helped me get my commercial coffee equipment at a wholesale rate, were flexible with my schedule when I had events, recommended me to their customers if they had an upcoming event and offered me insight and wisdom on how to run my business. This was so different from what I had initially experienced in my early specialty coffee years, and it made me realize how damaging that mindset was and that it needed to change. It kept me from building great relationships with people that had the same goals as me. Being encouraged, loved and supported by those in the same industry brought me great healing, and I am thankful to say I now have many incredible coffee cart friends that I cherish and truly find joy in seeing their success. This shift has created a desire in me to help anyone who is ever interested in creating their own coffee cart business because no one should ever believe the lie that there isn’t room for them.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been community pages on Facebook! It took one post to fill my inbox with potential clients, and I was amazed at the kind words people were sharing from their previous experiences with us. It takes a leap of faith to put your business out in the world, but something I will forever stand by is the power of community. I truly believe that there are many people out there that desire for us to succeed in our endeavors; it’s just a matter of letting people know you’re there!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @soteriacoffee
• Other: Inquiry Form: https://www.honeybook.com/widget/soteria_coffee_257672/cf_id/649bb6692afc8e0b33d77d12

Image Credits

@cassidyophotos
@llenavidamedia