Meet Karen Misheal Jacho and Esteban Altamirano of Ecuamex Cafe in Downey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Misheal Jacho and Esteban Altamirano.

Karen Misheal and Esteban, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ecuamex is born out of love for a good cup of coffee. I am Ecuadorian and my husband Esteban is From Mexico. On my birthday, he gifted me our logo. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions and lessons but we are so grateful to be where we are today.

On my birthday 4/2019 Esteban gifted me our logo for Ecuamex. Exploring our roots, we decided to create a menu that represents us together. We did some research and got a few ideas on how to build a mobile cart. Our first cart was built by my dad, John Jacho.

November 2019, we did our first fundraiser for a community event, we were so nervous. We had our friends and family exclusive coffee tasting premier, February 2020. It was then that we knew there was no going back. Esteban and I were all in on this entrepreneurship journey. On March 2020, we obtained our business license. We couldn’t believe that Ecuamex Cafe was an official business.

We booked our first event, we had our weekly pop-ups scheduled we were so excited and then Covid-19 hit us. Without the support of our family, friends and customers, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We appreciate every single one of our guests who come by to our pop-ups. Ecuamex wouldn’t be possible without their support. Ecuamex is currently at a permanent location in Downey, CA. Wednesdays through Saturdays and added a second location a drive thru on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Our second new and improved cart will launch in September.

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?
We knew going in that having our own business would not be easy. Getting our business license in the mail and then getting hit with a pandemic is whole other ball game.

Covid-19 couldn’t have happened at a better time for us. We were jobless. We used our own money for our business and our apartment was full of coffee.

When the lockdown happened, we thought it would be over. We took some time to recharge, step back and decided to keep going. The lockdown took a major toll on our morale as entrepreneurs. We needed to take a step back and look at the problem we were facing from a different angle.

After recharging, we took it to Instagram and Facebook to announce we will be offering free delivery. Offering free delivery, handing out flyers on cars and offering buy one get one deal through our social media, we were able to keep Ecuamex alive.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ecuamex Cafe story. Tell us more about the business.
Ecuamex is an organic dairy-free mobile coffee shop. We don’t offer any artificial flavors or fake sweetener syrups. We are known for all of our dairy-free lattes, our cold brew, and we offer seasonal ice teas as well.

We are most proud of the genuine reaction we get from our customers when they try an item from our menu. What sets us apart from others is our Decaf selection. A lot of chemicals go into making a decaf coffee. We chose to have a healthier option available with our coconut cinnamon latte and our hibiscus honey oat latte.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We don’t believe in luck. We believe in passion, hard-working, dedication and all the good people around us.

Contact Info:

• Address: 8335 Firestone Blvd
  Downey, Ca 90241
• Website: https://ecuamex-cafe.myshopify.com
• Phone: 562 805-4665
• Email: ecuamexcafe@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ecuamex_cafe?igshid=1anbwp4pkn2ur
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ecuamex-downey?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

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