Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara de Luca.
Sara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I graduated college in 2016, I started working for a start up called CommonGrounds Workspace. As they develop their concept, they decided they wanted an amenity for their members. I was fortunate enough to be on the team to develop a coffee shop concept for CommonGrounds Workspace. I opened a prototype coffee cart at Belmont Park in San Diego, where we tested different coffee machines, coffee products, recipes and ideas. It is here where I came up with the name and concept/story behind Invita. In 2017 we opened our first official shop in Carlsbad, California. October of last year we opened our second San Diego location. I have since branched off from CommonGrounds Workspace and now operate and run the two locations as my own personal business.
Has it been a smooth road?
We started as an amenity coffee shop to CommonGrounds Workspace back in 2016. We quickly realized how impossible it was to scale a food concept at the same speed of a shared office concept. Having developed the concept, product and name myself, I quickly grew passionate about the brand. I took over the two FlagShip locations in San Diego for myself. Covid made us face a challenging time. In order to save the company from having to close our doors forever, I was forced to furlough my team and brought in 10 of my closest Italian cousins. Since they were on the online school, they had the time and graciously volunteered for free for one month!! This is the only way we were able to keep our doors open and the reason we’re still thriving today! While some cousins stayed on because they fell in love with the Invita, we were able to bring back some of the original/pre-covid team. While things are not 100% back to what they used to be, they are much better and we see each and every day growing. 
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Invita Cafe story. Tell us more about the business.
Invite stems from the Italian word “invitare” meaning to invite. In Italy, it’s a cultural norm that while running through your daily errands or your daily routine, if you run into a loved one or a neighbor, you automatically invite them for a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop. In Italy, espresso is the magnet that unites and draws people and the community together. I wanted to bring this concept here to America. I wanted to develop a place where you can socialize and collaborate and share a cup of coffee with a friend while experiencing the flavors of traditional Italian espresso. Everything we do has a traditional root with our own modern California spin.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It’s obvious that the coffee industry has soared in the past decade. While I’m not exactly competing with the third wave craze that has occurred in my generation, I’ve tapped into a niche market. There aren’t very many coffee shops that take the traditional styles of Italy and mix it with the modern third-wave concepts that have developed today. I’m hoping with time I can get more and more of the community to appreciate and enjoy the traditional flavors I’m so passionate about. It’s more about creating a space our local community can thrive in versus becoming a mega-corporate company in 5 to 10 years.I want people to feel like they’ve taken a trip to the old country when they walk into the shops!
Contact Info:
- Address: 18021 Calle Ambiente, RSF 920676806 Embarcadero Lane, Cbad 92011
- Website: invitacafe.com
- Phone: 8586850568
- Email: sara@invitacafe.com
- Instagram: @invitahq
- Facebook: @invitahq
- Yelp: Invita
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