For many, coffee is just a drink that gives them energy to start the day, but for this family in Santa Ana, it's the means that has helped them connect with their community, pay for their studies, and help others fight for their dreams.

Clarissa Cordova, the mastermind behind Cafe Cordova, says that her relationship with this traditional beverage goes back to her childhood when she would drink a small cup of the popular elixir to stay awake While enjoying nightly soap operas with her family, she never imagined that it was precisely those cups of coffee that would give her life a great boost. The business began in her garage in Santa Ana with the goal of helping pay for the expenses of the master's degree she was pursuing to become a therapist. Little by little, the traditional Mexican flavors won over customers and allowed her to set up her mobile coffee shop. Clarisa confesses that today, for her and her family, coffee is synonymous with communication and opportunity. "Coffee has been a way to connect with other people, get together, and share resources and information; as I say, it's coffee and gossip with a purpose," says Clarisa while taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the business. "In high school, many of the connections I made started with a cup of coffee in hand; that's how I found out about scholarships and other opportunities. The same thing happened at home: after conversations about how our day at work went or more serious discussions, there was always a cup of coffee nearby." She recalls that the business started by selling chocolate bombs that melted when mixed with milk or hot water, but they gradually transitioned to coffee when Clarissa began experimenting with the traditional Mexican coffee her mother made for her every morning before leaving for university. “When we started this business, I was preparing for my master's degree at Chapman University, and this was a way to pay for my textbooks, since master's programs tend to be more expensive and there's less financial aid,” she explains. “I took the coffee my mother made and started serving it over ice with horchata and cream, and that's how our transformation began.”

At that time, Latin and nostalgic flavors, such as horchata, marzipan, and churros,had not yet become popular in the city's coffee shops, so she decided to fill that gap, and it was a complete success. The change was well-received, and now they even have coffees for each season, like their fall coffee, which includes iced cafe de roca with a delicious pumpkin and cinnamon cream.

Four years later, this 27-year-old entrepreneur fulfilled her dream of finishing school and is now a therapist working with the Latino community.

From Monday to Thursday, she is dedicated to her clients, helping them process their emotions and experiences, but on weekends she is at Bristol and Edinger, along with her mother, Claudia, her brother, Emmanuel, and her younger sister, Angelina, selling coffee.

Each member of the family has a role in the business and helps in different ways; Her grandmother labels the cups with stickers bearing phrases like “Honey, get your act together!” and her famous “coffee with gossip!” Her mother and her husband, Jesus, prepare drinks while her 15-year-old sister takes orders. And her 19-year-old brother is responsible for organizing the stand, setting up the tables, chairs, and other products they offer to customers. What began as a way for her to finish her studies now allows her to help her entire family achieve their goals. Currently, they are all studying: her sister is in high school, her brother is a student at Santa Ana High School, and her mother is fulfilling her dream of attending college to earn her degree for the first time. “When you support businesses like ours, you're supporting more than one dream,” the young woman affirms. “Beyond that, supporting us is like investing directly in the community, because all our products are locally sourced, and if we collaborate with someone, we always do so with local businesses.” Their business aims to help others and create a community impact, which is why they have collaborated with several entrepreneurs, such as Los Viejitos, who sell sweet bread and other desserts. He even collaborated with Flantista, a business in Santa Ana specializing in flan.

Support for Immigrants

Cafe Cordova has also done its part to help community groups in Orange County, such as the Rapid Response Network, which assists immigrants.

During the summer, they decided to donate a percentage of sales to the organization, and the week's donations exceeded $4,000.

“When I was funding my studies, I always told people, 'Hey, you're helping me and funding my education by buying me a coffee, but I'm going to use those same funds to help the community,' and that's what we did with the fundraising,” he explains. Through her work as a therapist with the Latino community and her experiences as an entrepreneur, Clarissa reveals that she has witnessed the damage that raids have caused in her community. She recalled that on October 25th,there was a raid in the same parking lot where his business operates. “They took two people that day,” Clarissa recounts, adding that she only managed to take a picture of the immigration vehicles because the raid happened so quickly. Since then, they have planned to raise funds soon for the Orange County Rapid Response Network, as they want to continue supporting the vigilantes in their community. “For us, it was important not only to represent our Mexican culture in the business, but also to support our communities that are suffering right now,” she affirms while preparing coffee. “We want people to know through our work and our coffee that they are not alone, because, as they say, only the people can save the people.”

The Next Goal

Their dream is to open a permanent location that serves not only as a coffee shop, but also as a resource space for students and the community.

“I can't thank our community enough for supporting us, because thanks to their support we have been able to help those who truly contribute to maintaining our communities safe,” she said. “They are also helping us all achieve our dreams, and those dreams include resources for everyone.”

This article was originally published on LatidoBeat, a coalition of leading local Spanish-language news organizations, united to amplify the rich diversity of Latino voices across the United States. It currently includes La Opinion (Los Angeles), El Diario (New York), La Raza (Chicago), La Prensa de Houston, La Prensa de Orlando, El Comercio de Colorado, and La Noticia (Charlotte). Read more news on LatidoBeat. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.