New Colombian coffee truck imports flavors from family farm to NoDa
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Caffeto sits permanently in this spot next to Canvas Tattoo. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios
Caffeto Specialty Coffee recently popped up permanently in NoDa, next to Canvas Tattoo and across from the Johnston YMCA.
Why it matters: The small truck sources coffee from its owner's family-owned farm in Manizales, Colombia. "We grow our own coffee and roast it there," owner Valentina Castellanos tells Axios.
What to expect: Hot and cold coffee drinks like espresso, cappuccino, cortados and flavored coffee, plus matcha and chai drinks.
- The menu also includes select pastries, including croissants, Danishes, and pandebono (a popular Colombian bread). On the weekends, Caffeto serves cachitos (Venezuelan soft bread stuffed with ham, bacon, and cream cheese).
The intrigue: In addition to selling specialty coffee, Caffeto also hosts morning parties each month with a live DJ spinning house and Latin house beats.
- To start, the events will be once a month but come this spring and summer, they'll occur every weekend. The next one will be on Feb. 15 and you can keep up with the events on Instagram.
Stop by: Caffeto is at 3012 North Davidson St., next to the new cocktail bar Chief's.
- It's open 7am-3:30pm daily.
Flashback: Castellanos's family bought the farm about five years ago, around the same time she moved to Charlotte to study business administration at Central Piedmont Community College.
- "It's a family project," says Castellanos. She operates the business with her sister and parents, who run the farm in Colombia.
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Between the lines: Colombia is the world's best-known coffee producer, according to the National Coffee Association, and ranks second worldwide in yearly production behind Brazil.
- The largest coffee producers are all located near the equator — geography is a vital component in coffee production, local coffee roaster Jay Gestwicki once explained. In short, it's likely that the coffee you drink at your favorite coffee shop, whether it's Starbucks or locally owned, comes from Colombia.
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What's next: Castellanos hopes to franchise Caffeto and have multiple trucks around the city in the future.
Editor's note: The interview for this story was partially conducted in Spanish. Quotes have been translated and edited for Smart Brevity.