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

What should our readers know about your business?

We established our first brick-and-mortar in 2021 which has allowed us to serve the community by providing a space where they can enjoy quality coffee and specialty Oaxacan chocolate in the east side of LA. We’ve come a long way since building our first coffee cart in 2016. Learning how to run a small business has been a learning curve, especially since we knew very little about how to do it when we started. We had to find our footing in the LA coffee industry and little by little, people began to know Cafê Santo at farmer’s markets and pop-ups across LA.

One of the most important lessons we’ve learned along the way has been to never give up, no matter the circumstances. The only way you will be able to build a strong foundation for your business is by learning from your failures. Every business is different and will always find a way to overcome any challenges. We’ve run into many setbacks being a small team but that never stopped us from pushing through.

More than anything, we want to leave an impact on people by sharing our story. We believe coffee connects people in a magical way.Every interaction with our customers, even bringing a smile to their faces through coffee and chocolate, makes it all worth while.

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.

Here are our favorite spots that are a must:

-Locally owned coffee shops
-Farmers Markets in LA
-A walk around Little Tokyo
-Oaxacan food in Koreatown (Guelaguetza)
-Cemitas La China Poblana in East LA
– LOS ORIGINALES TACOS ARABES
-TACOS DON CUCO
-Bars: 1642

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since day one we have had the support of our family and friends. We have met some great people that have definitely shaped Café Santo. Our friends at Picaresca roast our coffee and our relationship with them has been integral in understanding the process of coffee. They have helped us develop some distinct roasting profiles for our coffee shop and have sourced coffees from Mexico, in this case, Marlon’s hometown of Oaxaca. Juan Renteria from el Creativo is another collaborator who has been an important person in the development of our brand. His creative approach has led Café Santo to develop our own identity in a very organic way. From photo shoots to immersive installations, he brings out the best of Café Santo.

Website: elcafesanto.com

Instagram: instagram.com/cafe.santo

Twitter: twitter.com/elcafesanto

Facebook: facebook.com/elcafesanto

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-santo-los-angeles-3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdIxFEgq5CSE6G_gonHG7gQ/featured

Image Credits
All photo credit: Juan Renteria

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.