Today we’d like to introduce you to Lupita Sanchez.
Hi Lupita, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Lupita Sanchez, founder of Café Metzli, a Mexican specialty coffee company rooted in culture, storytelling, and community. Café Metzli started from a deep passion for sharing the richness of Mexican coffee and creating more visibility for the farmers and regions behind it. Growing up, coffee was always connected to family, conversation, and tradition, but I noticed that a lot of people in the U.S. had never experienced the depth and quality of specialty coffee coming from Mexico.
I began by sourcing coffee directly from farmers in Mexico and sharing coffees that, in some cases, had never been available in the U.S. before. What started as an online coffee brand slowly evolved into something much bigger. I wanted people not only to taste the coffee, but to experience it in person, so I built Café Metzli into a mobile espresso bar and catering experience focused on high-quality specialty drinks and intentional hospitality.
The journey definitely hasn’t been easy. Building a business from the ground up meant learning everything firsthand, from sourcing coffee and branding to permits, equipment, events, and outreach. There were a lot of long days, risks, and moments where I had to figure things out as I went. Café Metzli was founded in Los Angeles and has since relocated to the North Dallas area, where we continue expanding our focus on direct trade relationships and roasting our own specialty coffee. We also now have a coffee espresso van based out of McKinney, allowing us to bring the Café Metzli experience to events and communities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Now, Café Metzli serves private events, weddings, corporate activations, and community gatherings across the North Dallas area and beyond. Along the way, we’ve been featured by outlets like Telemundo and HuffPost, which has been incredibly meaningful because it’s helped amplify our mission and story.
At its core, Café Metzli is about creating connection through coffee while honoring Mexican culture, craftsmanship, and community. This journey continues to evolve, and I’m grateful for every person who has supported us along the way.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. When we first launched Café Metzli, Mexican specialty coffee was not always viewed the way it is today. A lot of people didn’t see Mexico as producing some of the best specialty coffee in the world, so there were many moments where I had to work twice as hard just to get people to give it a chance.
Early on, I would visit coffee shops and try to introduce our coffees, hoping for an opportunity to collaborate or even just have them try what we were offering. Many times, I was turned down or not really given the opportunity at all. That was difficult, especially because I knew the quality and potential of the coffees we were bringing in directly from farmers in Mexico.
Over time, though, we stayed committed to the vision and continued building trustworthy, long-term relationships with the farmers we work with. Now, it’s been interesting to see many of those same coffee shops begin adding more Mexican specialty coffees after seeing the growth and recognition the category has received. For me, that’s been a reminder that consistency and believing in what you’re building really matters.
There have also been the everyday challenges that come with building a business from the ground up, from funding and logistics to learning how to grow sustainably while staying true to our mission. But every challenge has helped shape Café Metzli into what it is today, and it’s made the journey even more meaningful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Café Metzli is a Mexican specialty coffee company focused exclusively on showcasing the depth, quality, and diversity of coffee from Mexico. From the very beginning, our mission has been to help change the perception of Mexican coffee and create more visibility for the farmers, regions, and stories behind it.
One thing that truly sets Café Metzli apart is that we were among the first to introduce certain Mexican specialty coffees to the U.S. market, including coffees from producers and regions that had never previously been available here. We have always believed that Mexican coffee deserves to be recognized alongside some of the best coffees in the world, and we built our brand around that belief long before it became more widely recognized within specialty coffee.
We specialize exclusively in Mexican specialty coffee, which is something that makes us unique in a space where many companies source from multiple countries. Our focus has allowed us to build deeper direct trade relationships with farmers and better understand the craftsmanship, processing methods, and regional profiles that make Mexican coffee so special. Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best Mexican specialty coffee producers, including producers who have ranked in the top 10 of the Cup of Excellence Mexico. That includes 1st place winners José and Karina Argüello of Finca Santa Cruz, Monika and Senen Sampieri from Veracruz, Las Adelitas from Hidalgo, world-renowned producer Enrique López of Finca Chelín, and Erick Garcia from Directo al Origen.
Today, Café Metzli continues to grow through our coffee offerings, mobile espresso experiences, and coffee espresso van based out of McKinney. We serve private events, weddings, corporate activations, and community gatherings while introducing people to specialty Mexican coffee through both traditional and creative drinks.
Brand wise, what I’m most proud of is staying true to our vision even when Mexican specialty coffee was often overlooked. We never shifted away from our mission or tried to follow trends. Everything we’ve built has come from a genuine passion for culture, community, hospitality, and highlighting the incredible work of Mexican coffee producers.
What I want readers to know most is that Café Metzli is more than just a coffee company. It’s a brand built on representation, storytelling, and creating meaningful connections through coffee while helping elevate Mexican specialty coffee on a larger scale.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5 to 10 years, I see Mexican specialty coffee continuing to grow in both recognition and quality.
From what we’ve experienced at Café Metzli, there has already been a clear shift in how much investment is going into farming practices, processing methods, and overall quality at origin. As those efforts continue to develop, the coffees coming out of Mexico are becoming more refined, more expressive, and more consistent in their cup profiles.
For us, this aligns directly with why we have focused exclusively on Mexican coffee from the beginning. We’ve seen firsthand the depth and potential that exists, and we believe that as producers continue refining their processes and investing back into their work, Mexican coffee will continue reaching higher levels within the specialty coffee world.
What excites me most is the direction of continuous improvement and refinement. The foundation is already there, and the next several years feel like a period where quality and recognition will continue to rise in a very natural and steady way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cafemetzli.com/
- Instagram: https://cafemetzli.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CafeMetzli/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupita-sanchez-75014a246/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cafemetzli
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/caf%C3%A9-metzli-mckinney-2
