It’s kept me up at night for years. Like, literally up at night; the dreamy café with whipped sugar packing more smack than three Red Bulls in 1/8 the size. It’s the cafecito handed to you through the ventanita that wakes you up, keeps you pumping through the day and gives you super powers before going out at night.
Now imagine if I could offer you the same thing at home in a jar? Not the cafecito; for that we have Café Bustelo. But, the actual espumita. Thanks to Cid Fernandez, a former Marine turned entrepreneur, you can now have the actual pre-mixed gold delivered to you, ready to stir into your tacita. We tried it and were pretty impressed by the results.
Most recently, the team from La Espumita has added new Espresso Bites to their product list. The bite sized espumita chunks, for lack of a better term, are perfect.
The La Espumita brand started when Co-Founder, Fernandez was speaking with a friend about his bottled espumita. At that point the buddy simply did it to have the whipped sugar concoction on hand. Recognizing a business opportunity, they teamed up, created a company and started bottling the stuff in earnest to sell at Miami farmers markets and online.
I had an extra huge smile on my face while buying it online. And, an even bigger smile while talking with Cid.
But, it’s also only fair that I put it out there that I was a bit skeptical even as I hit submit. I mean conceptually, it’s the greatest idea I’ve ever seen. But, do I really need to have espumita shipped to me when I can make it at home? What makes it so special that I need to spend money to have someone else whip my sugar?
Turns out, quite a bit.
For starters, Cid and his team live and breathe espumita. This means they don’t just drop a spoon of Domino sugar into a cup like you or I do. They spend an unhealthy amount of time and brain power (mad respect for you Cid) thinking specifically about café to sugar ratios, whipping time and even the type of sugar to use. In fact, they’ve gone through 18 sugar tests to find a variation, consistency and flavor that meets their standard. They wake up thinking of things that we take for granted, to make the perfect espumita every single time.
If you’re new to the “cafecito at home” game (i.e., you just woke from a three-decade coma or have lived on another planet), you could probably benefit from their experience obsession. If you’re an old pro, you should give it a try to taste a product made with love and passion. The latter of which is what drives the La Espumita gang to produce their product; the idea that cafecito creates bonds and connection.
Most recently, the team from La Espumita has added new Espresso Bites to their product list. The bite sized espumita chunks, for lack of a better term, are perfect. Add them to your café to make instant espumita or just pop them into your mouth as a snack. Or, surprise someone you love with a gift that will absolutely, most definitely, without a doubt, spice up a birthday, holiday or special occasion (or at least keep you up all night).
The Latest From Startup Cuba
Ken Deckinger
Ken Deckinger is the co-founder and CEO of Startup Cuba and the executive producer and host of its namesake docuseries. A native of South Florida, Ken has been an entrepreneur for his entire professional career. Previously he was co-founder and CEO of HurryDate, pioneering the global concept of speed dating to 45 cities throughout the US, UK and Canada. HurryDate eventually evolved into online dating and was acquired by Spark Networks, the parent company of ChristianMingle.com and JDate.com. Ken is a graduate of Boston College and the University of Florida, where he was honored with the University’s Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year Under 40 award and sits on the Board for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He actively advises entrepreneurs and is a two-time protagonist of a Harvard Business School case study. Ken’s filmmaking and journalistic journey is inspired by a love of travel and authentic connections with other cultures. He believes that the more we know about each other, through stories, the closer we can become — thus the mission of Startup Cuba: to amplify the voices of the people sharing stories in the Latinx space. After living in New York City for 15 years, he encouraged his wife to move their family to Miami to get back to his South Florida roots. Needless to say, it was a short discussion and he and his family now call Boston, where his wife grew up, their home.
Kudos! La Espumita!