When Itzel Herrera was living in San Francisco, she was looking for connection.
Not only was she navigating being far from all her family and friends, she also worked from home, limiting her social interaction with others. The cherry on the sundae: it was all during the pandemic.
To find that connection, Herrera would walk to local coffee shops, checking out what the Bay Area had to offer. When the coffee shop was fun and inviting, she’d leave feeling on top of the world, reenergized and ready to take on whatever life threw her way.
But if the coffee shop wasn’t welcoming, it was like a gray cloud rolled in, leaving Herrera feeling like her one chance for connection that day was a bust.
Like Herrera, many of us start our mornings off at a local café for a cup of coffee. It’s what sets the tone for the day. Sipping on a creamy coffee while taking in all the smiling faces piled in the warm, cozy space makes the painful process of getting out of bed worth it.
But when the experience is overwhelming, it makes us want to crawl right back under our covers. Words like nitro, cold brew, Americano and cortado are jumbling around in your head: what do they mean??? You panic and string a few of those words together for your order. Now you're left with a bad drink and a headache.
Herrera and her fiancé, Jonathan Ortiz, are putting a stop to those bad experiences, creating a space where both the vibes and the coffee are great.
The couple started last year, a baby-pink coffee cart found inside , located at , that incorporates classic Mexican flavors into each cup of coffee.
“We just want to be able to create a safe space for Latinos,” Herrera said. “There are some things that you can't replicate that are so specific to your culture and someone outside of the culture can't necessarily replicate that. People are always telling us, like, oh, this little cart that you guys have, it feels like an experience that we've had in Mexico City. That makes us really happy.”
When the couple first met, Ortiz had been working in the coffee industry for nearly a decade. He’s done everything from crafting drinks behind the coffee bar to working as a coffee roaster.
It’s this smooth, rich drink that connected them. Herrera said coffee is something that has been ingrained in her family and culture — she fondly remembers her family gathering around for a cup.
Coffee has the same impact in Ortiz’s family. His mother worked in agriculture, resulting in him growing lots of love for the industry.
“I grew up with a strong sense of respect and admiration for the agriculture industry,” Ortiz said. “As I learned more about coffee, the more I felt connected to it in a way that I didn’t think others outside of our communities could connect to it.”
Since the couple goes out of their way to ensure they support local businesses, the gears started turning: what if they started their own Latino-owned coffee shop that helps the drink become more approachable and fun?
Because Ortiz is the maestro de café, a nickname Herrera’s mother lovingly gave him, their dream of starting a coffee spot started to take shape.
Ortiz made their cart by scratch, researching everything he needed to know when it came to creating their very own coffee bar. This baby-pink cart with a giant white espresso machine sitting atop and “Cariño Coffee Bar” painted in big cursive letters now sits at the entrance of Slow Body Beer.
Jonathan Ortiz built the coffee cart all by himself, which can be seen parked at the entrance of Slow Body Beer.
Their first pop-up was held at Hotel Congress last fall. Herrera, who only expected family to stop by, was surprised when the ֱ community showed out and showered them with support and words of encouragement.
From there on, this pink cart began to capture the hearts of many.
When you walk into the lively and plant-filled brewery, you’ll spot their classic pink cart, complete with a pink drink menu. You’re instantly greeted by Herrera in her signature light pink jumpsuit, smiling as she takes your order.
Now, you get watch Ortiz work his magic. The way he pulls his espresso shots is his superpower, making sure each shot is up to his standards. He can tell when something is off just by the color or scent, ensuring perfection each time your latte is served.
New coffee cart Cariño Coffee opened in fall 2024.
He then turns these brown, fragrant shots into lattes that highlight different classic Mexican ingredients and flavors. Cariño Coffee even works with , a Latino-owned coffee roaster in Phoenix, to make sure customers are getting the best, highest quality coffee they possibly can.
On the menu you’ll see their Miel Canela, where honey, cinnamon and milk are mixed with espresso; and La Adelita, which includes flavors like piloncillo, cinnamon, orange peel and, of course, milk and espresso.
They even have a vibrant matcha drink, the Matzatli Matcha. This drink is a combination of matcha, piloncillo, pineapple and spice tepache.
Recently, they introduced chocolate de agua, a drink seen in Mexico that combines rich chocolate and water.
“It [the menu] comes from a place of growing up far away from home,” Ortiz said. “So many of us that didn't get to grow up in Mexico, we didn't get to grow up with chocolate de agua or drinking tepache in a corner store. I'm trying to incorporate this through the medium of coffee and share these things with our community.”
Growing up, Herrera and her family would spend time in Mexico and she remembers when she and her cousins would walk to the corner store to buy chocomil (chocolate milk). She channeled that nostalgia and put it on the menu for our inner child to shriek in happiness when we see it on the menu.
The chocomil, made with high-quality chocolate, mixed with Ortiz’s magic espresso and dusted with cinnamon is heaven in a cup. The coffee is not too sweet or too bitter, and it’s the perfect combination of rich coffee that gives you a kick of chocolate with every sip.
You’ll be so addicted you’ll want to recreate it yourself, pouring a Nespresso shot into milk and chocolate Nesquik powder. Trust me, I know from experience — it doesn’t hold a candle to Cariño Coffee.
“My favorite part is being able to build a brand that feels really fun and femme, and on top of that, Brown, because everything is about our culture,” Herrera said. “I feel like that's where I find the most joy and fulfillment is being able to provide something that doesn't take itself too seriously, but we serve very serious coffee.”
The couple eventually wants to find their own space for Cariño Coffee, but for now they are focused on continuing to provide an experience where everyone feels welcome. From the moment you first step in to when you leave with an iced coffee in hand, you can feel that Herrera and Ortiz make every little thing con mucho cariño.
Cariño Coffee is open at Slow Body Beer from 7 a.m. to noon Thursday, Friday and Monday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekends.