Ana Ocansey-Jimenez and Oneida Franco became friends in New York City when they worked together as accountants. During their time in an office setting, they started a tradition where they shared a cup of Cuban coffee (aka a cafecito) in their break room every morning.
Today, Ocansey-Jimenez and Franco are the founders of Casa Dos Chicas Café, a specialty coffee company that sources its organic product from Latin America and the Caribbean. During an interview with Girl Talk HQ, the friends and business partners discussed what it’s like to be a part of the multi-billion dollar coffee industry.
“The idea of Casa Dos Chicas Café was nurtured through the building of our friendship, sharing our cultures through foods, and drinking cafecito during our time at work,” the duo said. “We went our separate ways as we continued to develop our careers but stayed in touch. We would continue to see each other often for lunch and would of course enjoy our coffee and dream of the future.”
Once they were tapped into the coffee culture, their business took off. The duo said they “saw the inequalities throughout [the industry]” and decided they wanted to make an impact in their own way. “We saw a gap where we could educate on what specialty coffee is, why it is special, and how they too can have it and enjoy it,” they said.
This includes “bringing back traditional Latin American ways to prepare coffee,” which they learned from their Cuban and Mexican families. “We are bringing back the moment of simply pausing during the afternoon while having a cup of coffee,” they said. “We are on a mission to empower women in the coffee supply chain.”