Meet Chelsea Cabrera Tram Vu | Co-founders at Mariposa Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Cabrera Tram Vu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea Cabrera, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is one of the most important factors of running a business. It begins with taking a risk on a new idea and continues with our willingness to pursue that idea. Being uncomfortable while taking risks is a true catalyst for success and is an integral part of growth and evolution.

Us taking the chance to leave our current lifestyle to pursue this new venture is both transformative and rewarding. To make a commitment to the dream and to each other is risky. To put everything on the line for this common vision is risky. With all that said, risk is what led the both of us to this place now. Making our family’s coffee recipes, comfort foods and sharing our culture with our community and beyond.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mariposa Co. is owned and operated by two women of individually unique cultures and backgrounds (Vietnamese and Cuban) that aren’t so different after all. We started to see a lot of parallels in our connection. First, it was music that actually brought us together, hence why you’ll always hear some funky tunes and maybe spot some dance moves when you come into our shop. As we got to know each other more, we discovered that we also shared a passion for strong coffee and mouthwatering street food. The more parallels started to show up, including wearing matching outfits without ever planning it, the more we realized we have something really special and decided to share it with the world.

Our shop embodies who we are, where we come from, what we’re about, the foods we grew up eating and drinking and the kind of world we want to cultivate. This isn’t just a coffee shop for us, this is so much more. It’s a vision, a dream. And most importantly, a safe space. We want people, from all walks of life, to come to our shop and feel like they’re home. We encourage self expression and individuality together with a community that supports you in that.

We are most proud and excited about transitioning from a small pop-up operation to a full on Brick and Mortar. It’s so surreal because we started with just 3 small coffees on the menu, that’s it! And now it’s exploded into a full menu and local favorite. We couldn’t be more stoked! It’s not at all been easy, but totally worth it. We know there will always be challenges and we’re grateful for them honestly. We see them as an opportunity to grow. We also know and trust that we can overcome just about anything together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in Santa Cruz, there is ALWAYS some adventure to be had. You’ve got plenty of hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains and some of the most beautiful beaches in the Monterrey bay all in one place. Not to mention how unique Santa Cruz is in that its booming with art and creativity just about anywhere you go.. We’d definitely be taking them on what we like to call “foodie day.” It’s a day we spend jumping around to all of our favorite spots and sharing our favorite dishes “family style,” so that everyone can try a little bit of everything. We can enjoy an ice cold beer at Woodhouse Blending and Brewing after a bike ride up in Henry Cowell State park. Brunch at Copal on the West side or, Pretty Good Advice if we’re on the East side. Hang out at the beach awaiting sunset and then head over to our new favorite sushi spot in downtown, The Buzz. Maybe even grab a chicken sandwich from Chubb’s chicken too! And finally, meander over to ecstatic dance or Afro beats with DJ Monk Earl at Abbott square to burn it all off on the dance floor.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh where do we begin? Between our family, friends, regulars and Downtown Santa Cruz community, the love and support is overwhelming! The first person that pops into our heads is, Johnny Neang. Johnny was one of the first people to drive this vision while simultaneously offering a great deal of invaluable wisdom and knowledge. Johnny continues to support us unconditionally and we can’t thank him enough.

We’d also like to thank our friends! Both, current and new friendships included. Thank you for being our first guinea pigs, for showing up to every pop up, for helping us setting up, for running equipment all over town, for writing reviews, reposting, liking and/or sharing our content. Ya’ll are the realest.

Also, a BIG BIG thank you to our regulars! It’s because of your ongoing devotion that we are where we are today. To anyone and everyone who’s ever given us a space to share our craft including Woodhouse Blending & Brewing, Humble Sea Brewing, Shanty Shack Brewing, Girl’s Rock Mountain Biking and 3Bros Santa Cruz.

And last, but never the least, shoutout to all the people who believed in us enough to feature us in an article, newsletter or local paper, thank you so much! Tara Fatemi Walker at Santa Cruz Sentinel, Lily Belli at Lookout Santa Cruz and Matt Weir at Events Santa Cruz.

Website: https://mariposacoffeebar.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariposa_coffeebar/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mariposa-coffee-bar-santa-cruz-4?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Image Credits
Kevin Painchaud at Lookout Santa Cruz, Matt Weir at Events Santa Cruz and us 🙂