Meet Yssa Almazan | Owner of Flow Good Coffee, a coffee pop-up based in LA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yssa Almazan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yssa, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I think about this question often and it’s hard to pinpoint one factor to being the most important. There are many factors behind success and since success isn’t linear, some factors can weigh heavier than others. However, there are two that I find that constantly work in tandem with one another.

Me:you.

Me – I have to be fully confident in myself, put in the hard work and dedication to make it happen, and be resilient through tough times.

You – This is referred to you reading, those who support me and show up to events, those who reach out and want to work with me, those who have helped me in any regard.

I simply wouldn’t be successful without a healthy coexistence of both. I’m constantly reminding myself how grateful I am to be in the position that I’m in today, while still growing and learning.

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?
Flow Good Coffee is a coffee pop-up that is centered around Filipino flavors and nostalgia. I’m not one to say I’m different than others, in fact, there are many small businesses who are aligned with the creativity, work ethic, and mindset that I possess. Some of which are good friends of mine! That being said, I’m proud to be a part of a community that shares these values and understands the struggles that come along with it. It’s not easy, it’s mentally and physically taxing. However, it is so rewarding to take a step back and see how much growth happens if you keep at it. I don’t want to bore the world with how challenging it is to own a small business. I do want the world to know that if you believe in my work/vision and are interested in supporting me with future plans, email me. Let’s chat!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I wanted to show a friend the best time ever around the city for a week……a lot of food and drinks would be involved. For coffee, we’d go to Loquat, Mandarin, and Thank You Coffee. This would be during the summer so we would definitely hit my favorite parks to sunbathe, relax, and have a small picnic at Barnsdall and LA Historic. For lunch, Bub & Grandma’s, Found Oyster, and Softie’s at Smorg. Dinner would include Barra Santos, Lasita, Dunsmoor. and Cento Pasta. For an activity, we would go to the Griffith Observatory to watch a show in the dome and then have a drink at Goldline. That’s not all, but there’s too much to mention!!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s always help along the way. I’m indebted to anyone who has believed in my work from the very beginning and has given me the opportunity to grow. From my very first pop-up at Commonwealth, I owe its success to everyone who came out to support me, to Micah for letting me share the space with him, and Nico for holding it down while I was all over the place. I have to thank Leif, for the valuable knowledge I learned at my time at Stereoscope that I still use today, and for helping me become more official in my business. Thank you Paolo, for perfectly executing my vision on the cart, something that has become a staple to the brand of Flow Good Coffee. Thank you to Jon and Matt from Thank You Coffee, who were always so generous and supportive to help my business grow while I was working there. Thank you to the team at Slow Jamz for their help and support during my weekly residency there. Thank you to Rox, who has been taking photos from the very first pop-up, which are so important to the growth and branding of Flow Good Coffee. You get it……I can go on and thank hundreds of people individually for how they have helped me in my journey. In real time, I try my best to make that known so it doesn’t get lost or unnoticed. If I’ve lacked in that, and you’re reading this, thank you for your impact (big or small) in allowing me to be where I am today. I am genuinely, so thankful.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowgood.coffee?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Image Credits
Rox David