The story of COFFEE ART is the story of the road to success of a family with strong ties and a big determination to fulfill their dreams. Together they took the path of entrepreneurship and started their own specialty coffee business in their local city, Chiclayo, Peru. 

It was 2015 when their first coffee shop was opened, and today they own 4 COFFEE ART establishments and a sandwich shop, quite an achievement. We contacted Fernando Hernandez, owner of the franchise, and took some time from his busy schedule for a short questions and answers session. Short yes, but enough to make us taste their experience. 

- Tell us about your business, what do you do and what is special about your business? How did you decide to start your own business?

Our job and specialty are to share the coffee culture. We decided to open this business because we felt the social responsibility of raising awareness about the culture of coffee, It’s something it didn’t exist in our city, Chiclayo, in the north of Perú.

- How did you feel when you opened your second shop? And what about the third one, and the fourth? Was it a more significant challenge than the opening of your first shop?

The biggest challenge was the standardization of our services. With our first business, our primary task was to explore the new market, and it was 2015. And based on our research and accumulated knowledge, we decided to open new branches to get closer to the homes of our target market.

- What’s your local community like? Was it challenging to fit in the neighborhood? How do you interact with your customers?

Our community is quite conservative, and at that time there was nearly no awareness about coffee and its virtues. As every visionary I didn’t start alone, if I would’ve started alone, perhaps things wouldn’t have been as good as they turned out. I had my mom's unconditional support, as well as my siblings’ and my girlfriend’s, who currently is my spouse. Working together we found a great opportunity in a completely new market.

- How did you find Loyverse and how was the set up like in your stores? Would you recommend it to other business owners like you?

I found Loyverse in a top 5 app list while researching on the internet for alternatives to gain better control over our daily sales across locations. We gradually implemented it in our different stores as we had to invest in tablet devices and printers, and in 2 months we set it up in all our branches. 
Loyverse is a tool that speeds up our daily work. I would certainly recommend it to others.

- What do you think was the key to your business’ success? Any advice for other entrepreneurs?

Provide high-quality products, and our commitment, that even without capital, we kept working every single day because we all shared the same dream, which is to establish ourselves as coffee specialists in our country.

COFFEE ART is open in 4 different locations.

There is clearly much more Fernando couldn’t share this time, but it’s noticeable that he and his relatives worked very hard to come to this moment. Something else to point out that was not mentioned in this interview is their dedication to building a brand in social media. Their facebook fan page is an example of a well-done job, a showcase of their business towards their customers, and something many small business owners can learn about. The only way to understand it is by visiting them by yourself, have a look at @CoffeeArtPeru

From Loyverse we are pleased to be part of a story like Fernando’s, it’s wonderful to help people fulfill their dreams. And you can now also contribute to building together a better future for thousands of other entrepreneurs by sharing your story and experiences in Loyverse Community, a platform made for and by small business owners.