José"ET" Rivera spent his rent money on a coffee cart and went into business for himself eight years ago. After purchasing the coffee cart, Rivera only had $200 left. Now, he and his partner Magaly Martinez Saenz now own and operate two Mexican coffee shops called Tres Leches Café.
Tres Leches also has something for those who aren't coffee lovers, like real fruit smoothies or Mexican hot chocolate. Rivera hopes to soon add more breakfast options, like breakfast burritos that can also be purchased from a grab-and-go hot food bar. Martinez Saenz said while it was a complicated process, she also was surprised by the support she found. “Coming from a minority community, it’s not normal almost for us to get that much help and attention right away, historically speaking,” she said.
After finding success selling coffee in his front yard, Rivera's friend let him move the coffee cart to his deli, Scott's Generations. The Phoenix New Times caught wind of the business and from there, Rivera said he had a long line almost constantly. Martinez Saenz also turned online to a Reddit community for small businesses and discovered resources that were available. She emailed the office of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and to her surprise, heard back right away. She was soon connected with an SBA agent, who connected them to a pandemic-related Paycheck Protection Program grant for $50,000 and a loan to help through the economic hard times.
Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)
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