Today we’d like to introduce you to Eddie And Chris Rivera
Hi Eddie and Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When our husky, Maiko, was a young pup, my husband Eddie and I enjoyed taking her to all of the local farmer’s markets. Every Saturday we would visit the Winter Park Farmer’s Market before our visits to the Ronald McDonald House. Maiko was a therapy dog at the time and we would have breakfast at the market before going to RMH to bring smiles and comfort to the families staying there. After a few years of doing this, our favorite coffee vendor at the market was retiring and looking for someone to take over the business…so we jumped at the opportunity. It was then that we became Thirsty Husky back in 2018. We had a great little spot inside the old train station and absolutely loved serving the community. A little over a year in, Covid struck, and the world practically shut down. It wasn’t long before the Winter Park market reopened, moving to the outdoor field adjacent to Park Ave. We also joined the Orlando Vegan Market at that time. It was great to be outdoors however, we faced the challenges of Mother Nature with all of the coffee equipment in the great outdoors. The other challenge we faced was Eddie losing his job during the Covid shutdown, which we think it was our blessing in disguise. Eddie was able to put his heart and soul into the coffee business full time. It was then that we got the food truck which allowed us so much more opportunity to travel and serve at many different events and communities. We also joined the Orlando Farmer’s market in 2020 and have been there every Sunday since then. We absolutely love getting to know all of our customers and always strive to serve the best quality coffee, lattes, and teas..
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In the beginning, working the market was our enjoyable extra Saturday event. We both worked full time jobs. I was a teacher and Eddie was a school photographer. We both also worked for an entertainment company doing events for extra money at private events and at a local theme park in the evenings. We have always worked very hard to make ends meet, and coffee was our hobby…our love. I left my job as a teacher and found an “8-5” job which allows me to have more time to focus on the coffee business. It is a challenge for Eddie to run the business on his own during the week. He runs all of the errands, schedules events, does the social media and other communication on his own. Maintenance of the trailer is not as easy as it looks. It is a 7 day a week job which requires a lot of energy and dedication. Another challenge we face is keeping our prices fair with the continuous cost increases of our products, especially coffee.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We specialize in high quality specialty coffee drinks with the freshest ingredients. We get our beans fresh each week from a local roaster. We love to bring culture into our drinks. We infuse our latin culture into our coffee, and cafe con leche and cortaditos are some of our most popular drinks. We also used to live in Japan where we gained a love for tea. The delicious matcha we serve is straight from Japan. It is important to us to have freshly made flavors each week, such as our homemade butterscotch and lavender. We also love to change it up by providing different seasonal drinks. Everyone loves our Christmas coquito latte! It is a long awaited favorite. Being mobile, we can bring coffee right to your business or community. As long is there is a parking space we can offer a nice coffee break. We are working on expanding our brand with merchandise, such as t-shirts, hats, tumblers, and cups.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Our goal is for a brick and mortar location, with the ability to still be mobil and serve our local markets and communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thirstyhuskycoffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirstyhuskycoffee/?igsh=a2dkeHM5bmYwYnQx&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirstyhuskycoffee?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=zyn7Z958RYPkwsjp&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1BV6cpk5QY%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr
Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/marias.photostudio/?igsh=MWk3Y2ZxZGg5bWd4cQ%3D%3D
