“That really put it in perspective to me that it didn’t matter how much money I had made – even if I was the richest guy, I could not make my son walk again. It was kind of a turning point in my life, as it made me realize that life changes at split of a second; it doesn’t matter how successful you are, you need to something that is meaningful not only for yourself, but for the people around you,” – Santiago Lopez

Santiago Lopez is the founder of the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery located in Edmonton and spent most of his youth growing up in the United States and moved to Edmonton in 2007. An entrepreneur at heart, Santiago started the idea of the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery in 2016, and now works with multiple producers in Colombia where they get their coffee from, along with having multiple locations across the city for everyone to enjoy. The Universal Radio Network’s very own Qashus had the chance to sit down with Santiago to discuss his origins, how the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery came to fruition, and much more.

At the beginning of the interview, Qashus and Santiago take a deep dive into his humble beginnings, the trials and challenges he encountered moving from country to country, how he eventually arrived in Canada, and where the idea of starting a Coffee Shop came from (9:56). Next, Santiago discusses the steps that were needed in order to make his Coffee Shop a reality (17:50), what his vision was for the workplace environment, what his core values are, and what his company emphasizes in their mission statement for the community (25:45). In the middle of their discussion, Qashus wonders what makes a perfect espresso and what Santiago’s go-to coffee is (30:29), what his biggest struggle was when starting his company (33:27), when it all finally clicked (36:33), how he built the culture within his coffee shop (40:13), and shares his thoughts on when he started to consider his business as a success (44:21).

After a short break, Qashus and Santiago go into detail on how the Colombian established itself within each community they are in (47:14), if there are different niches in each community (49:34), and what makes a good leader from his perspective (51:16). Finally, Santiago shares some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners (54:38), what’s next for himself personally and the Colombian as a business (57:17), and how he’s able to come up with new ideas to keep things fresh (59:25).