We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Federico Diaz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Federico below.
Federico , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back at the decisions you made early in your career, particularly whether to join a firm or start your own, do you feel you made the right choice for that stage of your career?
I recently started my journey in the Specialty coffee industry and decided to create “Colombia Specialty Coffee” a firm dedicated to showcasing why Colombian coffee is considered by many the best soft coffee in the world. I made this choice because my entrepreneurial spirit was telling me this was the path to follow, coffee is a big industry and I wanted to be in the forefront of the coffee revolution.
It hasn’t been easy but it has been super exciting and rewarding. Meeting people from all paths of life with one thing in common: The love for coffee.
Federico , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Federico Diaz and I was born and raised in the Colombian coffee region. I got into the industry because I wanted to be an ambassador to the world for Colombia’s main export product. In the past, I gave coffee to many of my real estate clients and they were always delighted and happy with their presents and praised me for how good their gifts tasted. Right now I am mainly doing private coffee tastings, where we analyze 3 different types of specialty coffees and we use 2 different types of pour-over methods to prepare the coffee. I am also visiting coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels looking for wholesale accounts. What sets me apart from others is definitely the quality of my coffee, my knowledge, and my contacts in the industry down in Colombia.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Back in 2017, I decided to take a sabbatical year from my real estate job and moved down to Colombia to build a hotel on a lot of land my family owned in the Colombian coffee region. Once the construction was done I was having so much fun with my new life in South America so I decided to extend my stay to run the hotel. This was the time I learned about coffee. When COVID came, people couldn’t travel anymore and I was forced to close the doors of my hotel. After that, I came back to LA since it was always my plan B, but I wanted to do something else besides real estate. That’s when “Colombia Specialty Coffee” was born.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Talking to random people, in random places. Asking them if they like and drink coffee. Teaching them something new about coffee. Offering free samples.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.colombiaspecialtycoffee.com
- Instagram: colombiaspecialtycoffee
- Facebook: colombiaspecialtycoffee