Café Mestiza is one of my favorite coffee shops in Oregon. It has become basecamp for me and many of my clients to meet on a weekly basis. I not only appreciate the care that they put into each and every drink but the fact that they make quality customer service their priority. When you walk in you feel the warmth and love that they put into their business and I feel good that I am supporting a business that truly cares about their community. I also love the level of skill they bring to their craft. They make a great basic latte if you want a classic coffeed drink or if you like things a little sweeter drinks they can make that too. No pretense, no judgement just great coffee.

My favorite drink of all time is their Tres Leches Latte, it is creamy and decadent and something I order once in a while as a treat - since I have to watch my sugar and dairy intake. On the daily I go between a sugar free oatmilk London Fog and a sugar free coconut, oat milk latte - I enjoy both equally. Whatever you choose, it will be fantastic.

If you are hungry they also serve food, they partner with local panaderia Yulissa’s Bakery to bring pan dulce - Mexican sweet breads - and Mexican ham and cheese filled breads. They also make chorizo and bean burritos with house made salsa and molletes in house. I enjoy all of them depending on the mood I’m in.

Meet the owners of Cafe Mestiza Jimena and Zuri. Here are some fun facts that they want to share with us.

How did you get interested in making coffee?

Jimena: When I moved to the United States in 2014, I watched one of the large coffee chains become increasingly popular. At only 12 years old, I couldn't believe working with coffee could actually be a job. I immediately knew it was something I wanted to experience.

When I eventually had the opportunity to work in coffee, I fell in love with it. Life moved quickly, and a few years later, I stepped away to pursue my college degree and explore other career opportunities. Still, the idea of returning to coffee never left my heart. I knew that if I ever had the chance, I wanted to create something of my own that reflected an important part of who I am: my Mexican roots, my love for Mexico, and the culture I was fortunate enough to grow up in.

Our culture is filled with beautiful traditions and rich flavors, and I felt that Southern Oregon was missing a Latina inspired presence within the coffee industry. That love for both coffee and my culture is what ultimately led me back.
For me, coffee is about so much more than making a drink. It is about the connections, conversations, and relationships that happen around it. I truly enjoy working inside the café and getting to know the people who walk through our doors. It is difficult to put into words because there is so much beauty in the coffee industry that extends far beyond a cup of coffee.

Zuri: The opportunity for me to become a barista was presented in highschool while I was 16 and although I wasn't a coffee drinker I knew a big part of working in coffee was the customer service aspect and that is what I loved most about my job at the time which was in retail. I knew I'd be creating customer connections on a daily basis and not everyday would be the same. Growing up Hispanic there are many things that bring family together but one one specific one has always been cafecito. Whether it was me making my moms cafe con leche at the age of 9 in the mornings or going more in depth and learning about the agriculture side of it from my dad’s family, coffee has always been a part subconsciously of my life. And although there’s coffee everywhere in Southern Oregon there was a gap to fill where our culture was showcased and our community felt noticed & served with the unmatched customer service & specialty drinks.

What is your favorite coffee shop beverage?

Jimena: My favorite beverage is our Tres Leches Latte. To me, it is the perfect drink because it feels authentic to who we are while also being completely unique.

We created it through trial and error, simply experimenting until we found something we loved. Knowing that it has now become one of the Rogue Valley’s favorite drinks makes me incredibly happy. I always tell people not to drink it with a straw; you need to enjoy all the layers, the coffee, and everything delicious that comes together in it.

Zuri: I'd have to say that my favorite coffee shop drink would be a sweet iced chai. To emphasize the sweet, I learned the hard way that spicy chai was not for me. I'm not a traditional coffee lover.. so it has to be a Tres Leches, but she’s unique.

What is your favorite drink to make at Café Mestiza?

Jimena: It was very important to us that our menu genuinely represents who we are, which is why my favorite drink we make is our Café de Olla.
I love it because it is different, but still familiar and approachable. It can be enjoyed black, with cream, with sugar, or used as the base for many of the specialty drinks we can create. It is ncredibly versatile while remaining an important staple of our culture.

Sometimes customers are hesitant when we tell them we do not serve traditional drip coffee but would love for them to try our Café de Olla instead. Once they give it a chance, they usually fall in love with it. I love that it has its own story and often becomes a conversation starter between us and our customers.

Zuri: My absolute favorite drink to make is hands down our Tres Leches Latte, hot or iced. She is beautiful and delicious all in one. And not to mention loved by everyone that gives her a try.

What is your favorite thing about living in Southern Oregon?

Jimena: Becoming a small business owner has taught me to truly appreciate the variety of locally owned businesses we have throughout Southern Oregon and the Rogue Valley.
I have experienced firsthand how much care, sacrifice, and hard work goes into running a small business. It has made me want to support and pour back into other local businesses in the same way they have supported and poured into Café Mestiza. I love the relationships we have been able to build and the genuine sense of community that exists here.

Zuri: One of my favorite things about living in the Rogue Valley is how tight knit you can get with the community if you just put yourself out there. Word of mouth recommendations have been our best advertisement.

What is something our community could improve on?

Jimena: I think we could be more intentional about what it truly means to support locals and be part of a community. Community is not simply something we say it is something we have to practice by continuing to show up for one another, especially when challenges arise.
That can mean recommending a local business, sharing its work, collaborating, offering encouragement, or taking the time to understand someone’s story before making assumptions. At Café Mestiza, we try to remain open and approachable so people feel comfortable having honest conversations with us. I believe our community becomes stronger when local businesses and community members communicate, share resources, and genuinely want to see one another succeed.

Zuri:I think our community does a great job already BUT I do think we could improve on supporting more local business, whether that's with clothes shopping, services, dining, and of course coffee buying. There's so many amazing businesses across the Valley and it feels even better to know you are feeding local families and keeping those gems in business.

What is one piece of advice you would offer to a new business owner?

Jimena: Everything in life involves trial and error, and owning a business is absolutely no different. You have to learn to trust your instincts and continue moving forward when you truly believe in what you are creating.
As a young business owner, I am still learning every day. There is something beautiful about occasionally crashing and burning, learning from it, and finding the strength to keep moving forward. Those experiences build your character, strengthen your business, and shape the person you become. My advice may sound simple, but it is to keep going. Trust the process, learn through trial and error, and remain open to learning from other business owners. I would still love to sit down with more local entrepreneurs and hear about everything they have learned because, even after three years, I know we are still only beginning.

Zuri: If I could offer a piece of advice to a new business owner it would be to reach out to other local business owners, whether that's in the same field or something completely different. I think there is huge power in creating a community and since opening Mestiza we've always felt support from other local entrepreneurs, they became our regulars from the beginning.

What is one big goal you would like to attain with Café Mestiza?

Jimena: We are currently living through two of the biggest goals we have had for Café Mestiza: transforming our back patio area and beginning to roast our own coffee beans.
We have been incredibly fortunate to receive support from Tina and Cody at Cerberus Coffee. They generously offered their time, knowledge, and space to help teach us how to roast coffee, and that experience represents what community means to me: people sharing what they know and helping another small business grow.
Opening and improving our back patio has also been extremely meaningful. We know our location is not always considered the “best” part of town, but we genuinely believe Café Mestiza is exactly where it is meant to be. We want to invest in the space we already have and make it something beautiful through our patio, murals, culture, and atmosphere.
Creating a space that we truly love and that our community can also feel proud of makes me incredibly happy. These goals are not only about growing the business. They are about honoring where we are, improving the neighborhood around us, and showing what is possible when you believe in a space and give it love.

Zuri: Right now since we've started roasting we’ve focused our energy in perfecting our medium roast that we use in shop but I do hope we are able to explore new blends and not only carry various retail bags in our store but also acquire wholesale accounts in the future.

If you want to go

They are located in west Medford at 915 W. McAndrews Rd, Medford, Oregon, Oregon

You can also order online through their website. Their seasonal drinks are always fun and tasty.

Look for the cute blue building.

Supporting local businesses is more than just about the product they sell, it's about the people. The owners, the chefs, the farmers, the artisans that put the work in to provide us with goods and services that infuse money into our local economy. Each origin story is unique - filled with failures and successes, struggles and celebrations that all of us can relate to. These are the stories of our local business owners. A series sharing a little about them and how they got where they are.