Meet Sammi Rivera

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sammi Rivera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sammi, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

Music has always been an Intercal part of my life. I’m pretty sure I started singing and dancing as a toddler and it doesn’t really matter the genre of music I can find beauty and almost every different style. I have a very eclectic taste in music, I love everything from Chopin to punk rock, techno to Whitney Houston and everything in between. I sleep with music on, I wake up and have music playing music all throughout the day it really sets the tone for how my day will progress. Music is in the very center of my vibrational core. But I also keep my creativity alive based on many of my life experiences and the amazing people that I get the pleasure of coming to know and experience . I once had a neighbor who was a mural artist, he would fly around the country painting murals on buildings for companies, his work is truly amazing and so full of depth and vision. One night we were having a community dinner in our small apartment complex and he made a giant pot of soup for everyone and I had asked him what his recipe was because I had never tasted a soup like this before and it was incredible. He told me it wasn’t a recipe. He just made it up as he was going along. I was blown away and I asked him what’s the secret then because this soup is wonderfully unique, and he told me: food is art, and your tongue is a canvas. Every ingredient that you put in your food is a different color, a different texture, a different flavor and so when you create food, you’re creating edible art that’s beings an experience you can enjoy internally. After that night I was never able to look at food the same way again there, I think I implemented that kind of mentality into the way that I cook and the way that I think about creating food and drinks. I still implemented that conversation heavily while I was creating my own coffee company today. I take the basic recipes that other people have made, and when I taste them, my brain automatically starts to think of different flavors or textures that I could add to the recipe to make it elevated. I have also discovered over time that I am creative in many different facets, not only with food, but I was also a former reality TV producer and I worked with a traveling Food Network show and I paid very close attention to how the cameraman filmed their footage for cooking and recipe demonstration segments. I fell in love with the camera when I was in my 20s and when I had gone to college for film and television production. I was completely enamored with the essence that I could capture through the lens , so in that sense I also used what I learned while working on the show to create the high-quality videos that I make for Unicorn Coffee Co. recipe videos. I also enjoy singing (especially karaoke) painting and fashion!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I recently relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada from a town a little bit south of Atlanta where I roasted coffee and provided coffee service at the local farmers market in Senoia, Georgia. When I had moved to Georgia, we had just purchased our first home and was also one year post Kidney Transplant. I had received a life-saving kidney transplant in March 2021, by making a viral TikTok video dressed as a rainbow unicorn, dancing anround and asking if anyone would be willing to be my living kidney donor. Luckily for me, the video landed in the lap of a woman who was my perfect match and ended up being my life saver! we had our kidney donation and Transplant surgery on the same day March 9, 2021. She had her kidney surgery done in Atlanta Georgia and they flew her kidney straight over to where I was receiving it in Portland Oregon. That is where the story of Unicorn Coffee Co. begins. After I was declared healthy enough, I decided that I wanted to move cross-country and relocated from Oregon to Georgia in hopes of meeting my donor (we did meet on the 4th of July 2022) and also returning to work in the booming film and television industry there, despite not having any connections. When we arrived in Georgia, I had noticed that it was quite a distance to any local conveniences, like groceries gas coffee, etc. and had just moved from an area where I was able to get Dutch Brothers coffee anytime that I wanted. When I was unable to find anything close by, I had gotten curious about roasting coffee for myself at home and possibly starting a small business to help with the expenses of the new home purchase . I dug into some research and purchased my first home roaster and some sample beans and I taught myself how to roast coffee in under two months. I had attended a local country fair and saw there was a man who was selling his lemonade mixes, and it got me further curious into learning how to vend at markets and events so I had contacted the local farmers market and asked if I could sell my roasted beans and they were happy to have me. Upon arrival for the farmers market they had asked if I could actually provide coffee service since they didn’t have a coffee service at the market and I happily obliged. I’d be purchasing equipment and inventory and started diving into having multiple options that I was not able to see available locally. I was able to sell coffee cups and also beans and coffee grounds in bags to patrons and visitors of the farmers market and bring in some decent income. While I was developing this company I had started to reflect back on my own health journey and recalled a lot of the struggles that I had faced during that time. There was a point where I could not enjoy a cup of coffee as dairy was still predominantly offered as a base for coffee drinks and plant-based milk and alternatives were not as widespread at that time. Due to my
Health and dietary restrictions I was told I needed to stop drinking it or I would not meet the requirements for the kidney transplant. At that time I was at an all time low emotionally, and doing dialysis 3 times a week was physically draining on my body, so enjoying a cup of coffee as a treat at the end of the week was really keeping me going. I wanted to make sure that no matter what a persons dietary or medical issues were that anyone could enjoy a cup of coffee, because in my mind, maybe that was the one thing that was keeping them going. So I made sure to carry plant-based alternatives, sugar-free alternatives, and made sure that a lot of the ingredients that were used in my products were all natural, organic, and carried some sort of health benefit at no extra cost to the consumer. Now being in Las Vegas, I am barely getting back into the swing of things and starting over providing service to my neighbors and friends, and they are really enjoying what I’m offering. I do have some major plans that I would like to expand on, including multiple storefronts, a home barista product line and becoming a zero waste farm to cup chain that serves coffee with a cause. I look forward to the day that I can finally move forward with my dreams and have my first grand opening!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I feel as if drive, determination and focus on the purpose, really help keep me focused on my goals. I really have taken many of the experiences that I’ve had in my life and during my career and implemented them into my small business now. I’ve taken the experiences from film school and working in television and film to create the high-quality videos that I use for marketing for my coffee company, and I also use the knowledge and insight from people who are influential to me like my artist friend, who was really able to change my outlook on food as a whole. I use those to my creative advantage to create drinks and products that are one of a kind that I don’t see anyone else doing. A lot of my inspiration comes from seeing what other people are doing whether it be on social media or conventions or certain forums and building off of an idea to create something just a little bit different that I find enjoyable and that I hope other people find enjoyable too.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

I would say the number one challenge for me right now is acquiring capital to further grow my company into its highest potential. I know right now that I am starting from the bottom all over again and I don’t mind doing the work right now. I think that finances play a big part because it can be derailing on your mental health when you feel so passionately about your craft, but you’re worried about, how to bring it to to its full capacity. I have no doubt in my mind that I can build Unicorn Coffee Co. into a nation wide chain and household name brand. One day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://UnicornCoffeeBar.com
• Instagram: UnicornCoffeeBar
• Facebook: UnicornCoffeeBar
• Other: TikTok: Unicorn_Coffeebar

Image Credits

All photos taken by me (Sammi Rivera)