Cienfuegos Coffee

Florida

May 24

Rooted in Cuba, poured in every cup.

Carina Zatarain has felt closest to her culture while enjoying coffee. A second generation Cuban American, she explains the in-between “...feeling like I’m living in this hyphen of being Cuban American.” Cienfuegos Coffee is named after the city in Cuba where her grandmother was from, meaning a hundred fires, and is the manifestation of her experiences around identity, culture, and a desire to maintain ties to her family’s origins.

A marketing background has equipped Carina to create a brand representative of her culture and one that bridges the social experience of Cuban coffee with the specialty coffee world. She launched three years ago with a small coffee camper and has since expanded to two mobile units for private events.

To bring Cienfuegos to life, Carina took a second job at the local Panther Coffee and partnered with them to source her dark roast. Specialty drinks at Cienfuegos are named after Cuban cities where her dad’s parents are from; Havana latte, with dulce de leche, and the Holguin, with honey and cinnamon. While the Colada, Miami’s own version of Cuban coffee, anchors the espresso menu.

Though her grandparents are elderly, and some have passed, Carina feels solace knowing that they have seen Cienfuegos Coffee inspired by their legacies. Cienfuegos Coffee is a new Food Fleet partner this year.