Today we’d like to introduce you to John-Mark Reyes.
John-Mark, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Coming from the entertainment industry, I needed to find a way to make money on the side. I didn’t want to become a starving artist! Through experience and learning from people who ran their own businesses, I ended up in the food industry because customer service has always fulfilled me. I felt more in control of my own creativity and what I could put out for others to consume. Slowly but surely, we became a local favorite. I’m proud to have been able to provide for not only myself but also my family for the past five years.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely not been a smooth road because creating a brand requires your full attention and personal sacrifices. When we first opened, I had many sleepless nights. I also had to limit spending and luxuries in order to focus on building my business. Being a business owner entails thinking outside the box to stand out from the crowd. A struggle I face every day is creating a way for my brand to be seen in such a saturated market. If we business owners showcased our struggles more openly, I don’t think people would dive into entrepreneurship as quickly as they do today. It’s not as easy as it seems.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Dingle Berries Coffee and Tea is a coffee and boba tea house known for creative coffee and tea. Personally, I am in charge of concocting the menu items and overseeing the marketing and branding, including content creation for social media. We are known for our pun-ny names and clever drinks that cater to the San Gabriel Valley palate, such as the “Whoa-Chata Milk Tea” which is a horchata/black milk tea combination. We also aim to introduce a Filipino twist to a lot of our clientele by offering flavors such as Ube and Pandan. I am most proud of the seeing the amount of people who appreciate having fun and leave with smiles on their faces. Besides from our unique menu items, our main goal is to cultivate a fun experience. The positive feedback on Yelp speaks for itself.
What were you like growing up?
I’ve always had a big imagination. I’m very talkative to this day and find passion in it now thru helping others especially when it comes to business. Always mischievous as a child, I often got in trouble in school. I found comfort in the arts, always sketching or making plays with my siblings and cousins growing up. I grew up with a big Filipino family who all have big personalities.
For the future, I have plans to go back into acting in the entertainment industry. For the company, I want to keep it alive and steady, and possibly expand to more locations! We want to focus on collaborating with more companies and charities in our community and look forward to working at more events, too.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9711 Valley blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770 - Website: dingleberriesonline.com
- Phone: (626) 416-5535
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dingleberriescoffeeandtea/?hl=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dingle-berries-coffee-and-tea-rosemead-2
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/johnmarkreyes/?hl=en
Image Credit:
@toastedtouch and Claire Nguyen
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