Hidden Gems: Meet Maritza Cota of Beloved Cocktails

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maritza Cota.

Maritza, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Maritza Cota, the Founder & Creative Director of Beloved Cocktails. I’ve always been a creative person and someone who genuinely loves bringing people together, which is probably why hospitality became such a natural fit for me. I started bartending years ago, and somewhere along the way I realized I loved so much more than just making drinks. I loved developing cocktails, experimenting with flavors, making ingredients from scratch, putting thought into presentation, and seeing someone genuinely excited about something I had created.

At some point, I started wondering what I could build if I took all of those things I loved and did them my own way. I realized I didn’t just want to bartend, I wanted to create something around the way I believed hospitality could feel. I wanted people to be able to experience the creativity and quality of a really good craft cocktail bar at their wedding, birthday, or private event without actually being inside a bar. That idea eventually became Beloved Cocktails.

The funny thing about starting a business is that you can have such a clear vision for the creative part and absolutely no idea how many other jobs are hiding behind it! Suddenly I wasn’t only developing cocktails. I was learning branding, marketing, pricing, sales, event logistics, client relationships, and all the little things you don’t realize come with owning a business until you’re responsible for every single one of them. There has definitely been a lot of figuring things out as I go, but seeing something that once only existed in my head become a real business has been incredibly rewarding.

Over our first year, Beloved has grown from that original idea into a craft beverage catering company serving all kinds of events throughout Southern California, from intimate private parties and weddings to larger celebrations and corporate events. One of my favorite things about owning Beloved is that I don’t feel like the business has to stay in one tiny box. I love being able to look at an event or an idea and think, “Okay, how can we make this special?”

Going forward, I’m excited to continue growing across all types of events while exploring more brand activations, collaborations, and creative beverage experiences. There are so many things I still want to create and so many directions I can see Beloved growing in.

We just celebrated our first year, and in so many ways I still feel like I’m just getting started. I’m incredibly proud of how far Beloved has come, but I think I’m even more excited about everything we haven’t done yet.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road! I think one of the biggest challenges has simply been learning how to run a business while simultaneously running the business. There are so many things you don’t know until you’re actually in it, and sometimes the only way to learn is to make the decision, see what happens, and adjust from there.

One of my biggest lessons has been learning to value my own work. In the beginning, I think I was so excited that people wanted to book me that my first instinct was just to make everything work. Over time, I’ve realized there is so much that goes into what we do before we ever serve the first drink. There’s planning, shopping, prep, fresh ingredients, equipment, travel, setup, breakdown, communication, and hours of work that the client may never actually see. Learning how to price all of that appropriately, while still creating something I feel genuinely proud to offer, has been a huge part of becoming a business owner.

I’ve also had to learn that I cannot do every idea the second I think of it, which is still a work in progress! I’m constantly thinking of a new cocktail, a new service, something I want to add to an event, or an entirely new direction I could take Beloved. I love that about myself because I think that curiosity is a huge part of why the business continues to evolve, but I’ve also learned that growth has to be intentional. Sometimes an idea can be really good and the answer can still be, “Not yet.”

Events themselves have taught me a lot too. You can prepare for absolutely everything and something will still surprise you. I’ve learned to be resourceful, make decisions quickly, and stay calm when something doesn’t go according to plan. Most of the time, the guests will never know there was ever a problem, and I’ve learned that’s actually a pretty good measure of doing your job well.

I think more than anything, owning Beloved Cocktails has taught me to trust myself. I’m still figuring things out and I definitely don’t have every answer, but I don’t think being a good business owner means that you do. I think it means being willing to learn, being honest with yourself when something isn’t working, and being confident enough to change it. I’m a very different business owner than I was a year ago, and I know a year from now I’ll probably say the exact same thing.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Beloved Cocktails?
One thing I take a lot of pride in with Beloved is the amount of care that goes into what we actually serve. I love to cook, and I’ve always loved how food and drinks have this way of bringing people together. I think that naturally carried over into the way I approach beverages. I care about what’s actually going into the glass, not just whether it looks pretty.

As Beloved has grown, I’ve become even more intentional about that. Our syrups and cordials are made in-house, we work with fresh produce and juices, use organic ingredients whenever possible, and stay away from artificial cocktail syrups and premade mixes. It definitely creates more work for us behind the scenes, but I genuinely believe you can taste the difference, and it’s something I’m not really willing to compromise on.

I think of our approach almost like farm-to-table, but for beverages. I love starting with real ingredients and thinking about how flavors work together, what we can make ourselves, and how we can turn that into something people are genuinely excited to drink. And that philosophy goes far beyond cocktails. We love creating thoughtful zero-proof drinks, coffee and espresso beverages, matcha, hojicha, teas, soda bars and other specialty beverage experiences. I never want Beloved to feel limited to one category.

I’m also constantly educating myself and learning new techniques because there is so much happening in the beverage world that I find fascinating. I love discovering higher-level techniques and then figuring out how we can execute them properly and consistently in an event setting. It’s one thing to make an incredible drink once. It’s another thing to create that same experience for 100 or 200 people, and that challenge is really exciting to me.

Ultimately, I want clients and brands to feel like they can come to me with the big idea. I love hearing, “Is there any way we could do this?” because my brain immediately starts figuring out how we can make it happen. Of course, some ideas require a larger budget, more prep or additional staffing, but I never want creativity to be the first limitation. If we have the resources to execute something properly, I’m usually very excited to find a way to do it.

Whether we’re serving 15 people at an intimate celebration or hundreds of guests at a wedding, corporate event or brand activation, I want the quality to still feel like Beloved. The presentation matters to me, the ingredients matter to me, and the way we make people feel matters to me. I think all of those details together are what make the experience ours.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Honestly, the biggest foundation for me through all of this has been my faith in God. Starting a business comes with so much uncertainty, and I can definitely be someone who wants to know exactly how everything is going to work out. I’ve had to learn to trust that I don’t always need to have every answer or know what’s coming next. There have been so many moments where I’ve worried about an opportunity, a decision, or what direction I should take, and then something falls into place in a way I couldn’t have planned myself. My faith reminds me to keep doing the work, trust God’s timing, and believe that what is meant for me will find its way to me.

My brother Alejandro has also been such an important part of this first year. He has helped me behind the scenes, stepped in at events when I’ve needed him, built things with me, and supported some of my more ambitious ideas without making me feel like they were too much. Beloved is something I care about so deeply, so having someone I trust completely who is willing to support the vision has meant more to me than I can probably put into words.

Professionally, I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to meet people who genuinely want to see me succeed. Ryan, Alana and CJ from Happiest Ours have been amazing mentors and resources for me. I’m very grateful to have people in the industry who I can learn from, ask questions, bounce ideas off of, and get another perspective from when I need it.

I think that has shaped the way I look at networking in general. I don’t really love the idea of approaching people based on what they might be able to do for you. The relationships that have meant the most to me have happened much more naturally. I think being genuinely curious, asking questions, supporting other people, being willing to learn, and also being willing to help when you can goes so much further than simply trying to “network.”

If I had to give any advice, it would be to find people whose work and character you respect and build genuine relationships with them. You don’t have to know everything, and you definitely don’t have to build everything alone. I’m incredibly grateful for the people God has placed in my life and around Beloved, and I really believe the right relationships and opportunities have a way of finding you when you continue showing up and doing your part.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.belovedcocktails.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belovedcocktails?stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Maritza Cota