SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Art Vallejo owns Bueno Cafe on T and 4th streets in Sacramento. It opened in January 2023 and offers coffees, teas, sandwiches, pastries and more.
Vallejo says he's extremely proud to be an Hispanic entrepreneur, with more success to come in the future.
"I never thought that this is what I would be doing, being that I come from a Mexican background," Vallejo said. "I love it because when we came to this country, not too many people could imagine owning a business. We have accomplished that. At Bueno Cafe, we want people to know what our, Latino and Mexican, industry is all about. Authentic Mexican coffee, and we do have it here."
Carlos Talamantes owns Bueno Cafe, too. He's excited the cafe is officially celebrating one year in business and serving the community. He says being a business owner is hard work, filled with challenges at times, and networking plays a significant role in being successful.
"First, it is tough and very risky to open up any type of business," Talamantes said. "It takes a lot of hard work, but the Latinos and Hispanics are hard workers and they find ways to make things happen, like leveraging relationships and partnerships."
The U.S. is home to more than 62 million Latinos, representing 19% of the U.S. population. According to a report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, more Hispanic people are starting businesses.
Nearly 1 in 4 new businesses are Hispanic-owned and the nearly 5 million Hispanic-owned businesses contribute more than $800 billion annually to the American economy.
The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is on a mission "to promote and develop business growth for members and to provide access to the Hispanic market." The chamber provides a number of programs and resources to ensure Hispanic entrepreneurs succeed.
Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre, CEO and president of the chamber, says the time to invest in Hispanic-owned businesses is now.
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"This population continues to grow, so why wouldn't it be thriving," said Rodriguez Aguirre. "When you talk about investment, when you talk about growth, it is happening in the Hispanic community across the United States and definitely across this region. We should be celebrating and talking about these numbers more and more."
Not far from Bueno Cafe stands Mi Tiendita Munaycha on Front Street in Old Sacramento. Jessy Flores, who's from Peru, opened the shop in December.
All the cultural items and other products, like the clothes, jewelry, bags and more, come from Peru. Flores, who's a mother, says she dreamed of having her own business and creating a life for herself and her family in Sacramento. Now, her dream is a reality.
At Mi Tiendita Munaycha, Flores works to help other families in Peru. She also wants to help to give back to communities in the U.S.
"Being a business owner, as a Hispanic, it means a lot," Flores said. "I'm very proud because it's showing everybody what Peru means and one of my slogans is bringing my culture to your home. I want to have this business as an opportunity to grow and to give to this beautiful country who gave me the opportunity to do all of this."
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