“EVERYTHING WE DO NOW IS NOT SO MUCH FOR US, BUT FOR WHEN OUR FAMILY GROWS [SO] THAT WE CAN TAKE CARE OF THEM.”
—Angel Medina
In the midst of a recession in 2010, Angel Medina and Lucy Alvarez snagged roundtrip flights from Southern California to Portland for $20. The flight left the next day. After spending their impromptu visit exploring neighborhoods and typical tourist destinations, the couple decided to move to Portland for a fresh start.
By January 2017, Alvarez was busy working on a medical degree and Medina was nearing his fourth year at a tech startup. Coffee roasting was always a hobby, but the pair decided to roast a special batch to raise money for United We Dream, an immigrant rights nonprofit. Instead of a few bags, they sold 48, and within weeks, Medina’s employer placed an ongoing weekly order of 100 bags. To keep up with the full-time demand, Medina quit his job and opened up a coffee shop with Alvarez that same summer.
Kiosko is filled with warmth, familiarity, and good coffee. With an entirely Spanish menu and traditional drinks like café de olla, guests are invited to engage with Mexican culture. Simmered with cinnamon, brown sugar, and spices, the aromatic beverage is how you would have coffee in Mexico, Medina explains.
As Kiosko continues to settle, the co-owners plan to offer more customary Mexican drinks. The couple credits their success to a lineage of family entrepreneurs and their experiences as business consultants. “Watching [my parents] struggle so often and so much—it forces you to have a different outlook on the world,” says Medina. “It softens you up in a lot of ways, but with all respect to both of them, we don’t want to go through any of that.” While Kiosko has been personally fulfilling, it doesn’t stop there. “Everything we do now is not so much for us, but for when our family grows [so] that we can take care of them.”
ANGEL@SMALLTIMEROASTERS.COM | (951) 206-8237
1816 SW RIVER DR. | PORTLAND, OR 97201
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