Meet Haley & Andres Valenzuela | Owners of Solo Brew & Roasters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haley & Andres Valenzuela and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haley & Andres, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We love coffee; we would go around and visit local coffee shops in the Bay Area, we would brew some of our favorite coffee shops’ beans at home, and we began to experiment with roasting our own beans so the love for coffee was the driving force behind the decision. It was always more of a thought though, but because we were living in the Bay it was really hard to see family and that began to wear on us. We began to plan to move closer to family, so when we finally moved instead of looking for “traditional” work we made the leap to start our business. It has been the best decision we have made.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a mobile coffee shop that sets up at different farmer’s markets locally and caters private events. We are most proud that we scratch make every thing we can using the best quality ingredients that we can find. We feel that this is something that really sets us apart. We handcraft all of our drinks in front of our customers, so it is not just an ordinary experience. They are seeing absolutely everything that goes into their drinks and many express their appreciation for us doing it this way. We love what we do and we want everyone who comes out to see us to feel that.

We do not believe that anything is easy. Everything comes with challenges and this business is no different. We started this business with our own savings, not even knowing how expensive permits and licenses would be, but we knew that it was something we wanted to do. It took several months before we could actually start working and that was a struggle because we just wanted to get out there already.

We knew we wanted to be at farmer’s markets, we wanted to get our name out and it was an environment that we fell in love with while living in the Bay Area. We started our first market in May of 2018 and for the first year, after fees and gas, we either broke even or came home with about 30 to 40 dollars; we were ecstatic. We were able to get people to try us, even though we were new and hadn’t gained customer trust yet, Looking back at it now we appreciate that grind because it has gotten us to where we are now. It taught us patience and that patience has allowed us to stick out tough situations because we know things will get better.

We want the world to know that we truly care about what we do. We are not trying to just make people coffee, we want people to have an experience and to fully enjoy that experience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Happy Family Vegetarian Thai Vegan
Rakkan Ramen
Vegan or Nah

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our family. This is not limited to just people we are related to. All the people who we have come in contact with at markets, many who have supported us since day one, we consider as part of the Solo Brew family. They are the reason we are able to do what we do.

Instagram: instagram.com/solobrewandroasters

Facebook: facebook.com/solobrewandroasters

Image Credits
Solo Brew & Roasters