Today we’d like to introduce you to Marine Mathias.
Marine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After 15 years working from home as a translator, I missed the interaction with people on a daily basis, so I knew it was time for a change. Working in front of a computer all day long was not for me anymore! So my husband and I decided to take a big step by moving (back) to San Diego, a city we love so much. We started looking for a business for sale and fell in love with Caffe Vicino. It is tucked in a quiet secluded area, but as soon as I went inside, I knew it was the right place – small, bright and airy – full of charm, the perfect place to start a business!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge has been that we were still living in France when we started the process of buying. So it took quite a few trips, going back and forth between Europe and California, as our two children were still finishing school in France. But everything went quite smoothly when I think about it now and by summer 2017 we were all ready to move back permanently. Overall the process took no more than 4 months. Those 4 months were quite intense but I am so thankful that I had awesome staff members who ran the coffee shop perfectly while I was away.
Caffe Vicino – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Since then, running the coffee shop has been a pure delight, even though I am new in the coffee industry. I enjoy communicating with people, meeting new faces every day, and interacting with so many different people! Our coffee comes from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters and we offer a great selection of teas from Tea Gallerie. Both are local vendors, as well as our pastries, delivered fresh from a pastry shop in Vista.
We carry a large selection of coffee drinks (my favorite being our vanilla bean americano!), coffee less drinks (I love our spice chai tea latte), teas, hot or iced, made to order (my favorite one: the iced mango tango tea with a touch of honey), as well as smoothies, frappuccinos, and acai bowls (they are so good! Our customers keep coming back for more!!)
If you need something more substantial, we also carry breakfast croissants and panini, all from Seb’s panini (a regular vendor at Little Italy farmer’s market). We are all a very friendly team, we always try to attend to every customer’s needs. We are a small and local coffee shop, and we take pride at offering a great customer service. Also, if you want to improve your French while ordering, I will be happy to practice with you!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I would like to thank my husband who has been helping me so much throughout the project. Without him, nothing would have been possible. He accepted to split his time between San Diego and France where he runs vacation rentals. It is not always an easy process for him, but he is willing to do it, and I am so thankful for that.
Pricing:
- from $2.25 for a cup of coffee to $8.95 for an acai bowl.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2615 Denver Street, San Diego CA 92110
- Website: http://www.caffevicinosd.com
- Phone: (619) 578-4301
- Email: cfssdiego@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffevicinosd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caffevicinosd/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/caffe-vicino-san-diego
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
