We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Astrid and Maria Jimenez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Astrid and Maria , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Our dad is one of the most disciplined people that we know. Since we started elementary school, he always emphasized the importance that our education had on our future. So him and our mom always encouraged us to not only do well in school, but to participate and be a part of our community as much as we could. This involved studying hard, participating in sports, arts and other extracurricular activities. What was different about the way our parents did this, was they always taught us that it was important to be involved in many things growing up because that’s how you form your character but most importantly, its how you learn who you are and how you become who you want to be. So, anything that we did had to be our on choice. The subject we did well on, was usually our favorite. The sports we excelled in, were the ones we picked for ourselves. And we learned to love many different artforms like dancing or music.
Although they encouraged that fist step, they never obliged us to continue or be perfect students. Instead, they motivated us to find the joy in everything that we did. Our dad always said; “No one can make you do anything, not even yourself. You have to be convinced that what you’re doing is for your own good, for your own improvement, and if you happen to love it, you’ve won”. One of the most valuable lessons we ever got from them was to take your time. It is better to make the right decision than a fast one. But once you’ve found it, once you’ve decided you’re in…then be in it 100%. “If you pick the game you cant play it at half of your potential.”
So, overall, every decision that we’ve made in our career and in our business has come from the love we have for it, or because we know that it will lead us to become who we want to be. That’s where our work ethic comes from. In being sure and 100% convinced that this particular path is leading us to achieve our greatest dreams. And with that drive, a lot of discipline and making good choices, nothing can ever stop us.
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?
Coffee has always been a central part of our family. Like in many Latin American cultures, breakfast, dinner and lunch always ends with a traditional “pan dulce” and a delicious cup of coffee, even if at the time instant coffee was by far the only option. But we’ve come a long way since then. As we have grown, so has our taste in good coffee. We grew up in a city where coffee culture was becoming more and more mainstream. So much so, that it became a central part of the activities within teens and young adults. Visiting coffee shops was the “it” thing to do, and as of now, the city has become one of the most influential when it comes to coffee culture in Mexico. We started out Pina, our coffee roaster 7 years ago. We knew since the beginning that we wanted the coffee that we served in our coffee shop to be freshly roasted by us. We made it our commitment to work with the highest quality coffee beans, grown in Mexico, 100% organic and fair trade. Although we’ve always like the idea of serving our costumers a delightful cup of coffee when they visit us, we’ve caught the attention of other coffee shops that have wanted to have our coffee beans served in their own establishments. Because of that, we have slowly transitioned more into the wholesale of our coffee, but we knew we wanted to offer more than just that. Being coffee shop owners, we know the ins and outs of that business, what it takes to keep it running and the problems that make running the business sometimes very difficult. That is why, a part from our specialty coffee, we offer training, mentorships and a variety of courses to help other small coffee shops like ourselves. We have gotten to know so many local coffee shops and other coffee roasters that we’ve collaborated and we love to be part of this growing community.
Our goal is to make Pina reach every corner of the world, and make Mexican grown coffee more known for its great quality and flavor!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience. Over the past seven years in business, we’ve experienced numerous challenges—from the pandemic and relocating to a new city, to enduring three break-ins at our shop. Despite these setbacks, the one constant that has kept us moving forward is our resilience and faith in our vision. We’ve learned the importance of staying open to necessary changes and adapting to evolving circumstances, while staying true to our values and overall mission.
As business owners, it’s easy to become attached to your ideas and stubbornly try to make them work, even when they might not align with the current needs of your business. That’s why we’ve come to understand the critical value of listening to our customers. No matter how much we may love a particular idea, if it doesn’t resonate with our audience or prove effective, we’ve learned to embrace flexibility and evolve with the times.
The coffee world can be fiercely competitive. After all, it’s the second most consumed beverage globally, so it’s only natural that many are eager to enter the market and carve out their niche. However, rather than viewing other coffee businesses as competitors, we’ve shifted our perspective to see them as allies. By seeking collaboration and mutual support, we believe we can collectively elevate the industry and grow together.
It is because of the many new coffee shops that have opened over the past few years that coffee has become a mainstream part of daily life, allowing more people to explore its diverse flavors, brewing methods, and cultures. This growth has not only increased accessibility but also sparked a wider appreciation for quality, sustainability, and innovation. It’s pushing the industry forward, inspiring customers to discover new ways to enjoy their coffee and better understand the true value of a premium cup.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
We have identified two challenges that we want to tackle this year. As our raw material is agricultural, the prices of coffee can fluctuate sharply when the climatic and social conditions in coffee-growing regions are affected. Climate change, in particular, directly impacts us, as coffee is not a manufactured product. While we take great pride in working with coffee that comes directly from our land in Mexico, we unfortunately face challenges when government policies negatively affect the industry. This is generally across the board with every county that grows coffee. But we have mitigated that by working directly with the coffee farmers and building strong, transparent relationships that allow us to better understand the challenges they face, ensuring fair prices and sustainable practices that benefit both them and our business. The second challenge we’ve faced, especially since the pandemic, is navigating the ever-evolving and fast-paced marketing world we live in. Social media has revolutionized many industries, particularly small businesses. While we’ve certainly benefited from the ability to reach a wider audience and have learned the importance of making our brand more personal, the rapid pace of consumer demands and shifting trends can be overwhelming. It requires continuous adaptation and being aware of the changing landscape to remain competitive and meet the needs of our customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pinatostadora.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinatostadora/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinabarratostadora/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PinaTostadores
- Other: Tiktok: @PinaTostadores
