Dahlia Coffee Co. brings Mexican coffee culture to Cleveland with new cafe

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Dahlia Coffee Co. is one of the newest coffee shops in town, and arguably the only one that can essentially transport Clevelanders to Mexico through crafted cafe drinks.

Dahlia Coffee started as an online retailer of locally roasted coffee by Natalia Alcazar. In December 2023, Alcazar opened a physical cafe inside of the Pivot Center for Art, Dance and Expression, 2937 W. 25th Street.

Alcazar started her coffee roasting journey in May 2023 after leaving a corporate job. She moved to Cleveland from Portland, Oregon, and enjoyed frequenting the West Coast’s abundance of Mexican coffee shops.

Her road to roasting had two key elements — a pursuit of education and documentation of her journey on social media. She took courses, purchased a roaster, and got connected with First Crack Coffee, a co-roasting facility at 1436 E. 31st Street.

Dahlia Coffee was officially born as a result, with Alcazar still roasting at First Craft’s facility. The brand offers six single-origin coffee roasts, with the majority being sourced from Central and South America. Freshness is a key aspect of the business model.

“If I’m getting an order today then their coffee is roasted within the week,” Alcazar said.

Dahlia began building a community in Cleveland as a recent resident whose family still resides on the other side of the U.S.

She garnered a few wholesale customers and would make coffee drinks at events on her DIY coffee cart. At the start, the majority of Dahlia’s customers were home roasted located outside of Ohio who discovered Alcazar via social media.

“People started to kind of know what I was going for as far as a coffee shop,” Alcazar said.

Dahlia Coffee Co Cleveland — Dahlia Coffee Co. is a new Mexican coffee shop in Cleveland.Alex Darus

Local organizations were pivotal in the creation of Dahlia Coffee. She got connected with JumpStart, a small business impact program, and completed courses specific for Latino business owners in the fall of 2023.

Through JumpStart, she was connected with the owner of Future Ink Graphics, who was looking for a tenant to serve coffee at its in-shop cafe space at the Pivot Center.

By December 8, Alcazar held the grand opening for Dahlia’s Coffee Co.’s cafe just two weeks after acquiring the space.

Dahlia Coffee Co. is essentially a one-woman show with a strong support network. Alcazar’s boyfriend, local artist Glen Infante, designed the coffee bags, logos and more for the shop. Alcazar recently hired help at the cafe because of the overwhelming number of customers she’s grown in just a few short weeks.

“As far as the roasting, packing, shipping, it’s all me,” Alcazar said.

Dahlia’s Mexican pride cannot be overlooked in nearly every detail of the brand. From its name, honoring the national flower of Mexico, to its menu items. Alcazar focuses on highlighting Mexican flavors that she hasn’t seen at other coffee shops in Cleveland.

The Mazapan Latte is one show-stopper that keeps customers returning to Dahlia. It’s flavored with Mexican Mazapan peanut candy, espresso and hazelnut.

The Mexican Mocha is another spin, as people typically use regular chocolate and spices like cayenne to achieve the flavor profile. Dahlia’s mocha isn’t spicy, although a recipe for one is in the works, that features homemade mocha sauce utilizing Mexican stone-ground chocolate.

“So far, that’s been one that a lot of people come back for because it does have a very different taste to it,” Alcazar said.

The Cafe de Olla is another traditional drink rooted in history. During the Mexican Revolution, a coffee drink steeped with spices was made to make the caffeine last longer.

Dahlia’s version of the drink features light roast coffee steeped in clove, cinnamon, star anise and sweetened in piloncillo, a brown cane sugar.

“When I moved here to Cleveland, there were so many things I missed from my culture,” Alcazar said. “There was nothing like that here and it’s such a big thing on the West Coast.”

Stories by Alex Darus

Dahlia’s has a partnership with Jossi’s Bakery in Broadview Heights, owned by another local Latina. Jossi’s Bakery supplies prepped treats like empanadas and guava rolls for Alcazar to bake fresh daily. Alternatively, Jossi’s Bakery is also a wholesale customer of Dahlia and serves its coffee.

Art is another aspect ingrained in the business, partially due to its location inside of Future Ink Graphics and the Pivot Center. Dahlia has hosted a few art shows and events with more planned in the future to help attract more people to not just her brand, but the Pivot Center as a whole.

“I am in a really good location, I’m just really hidden,” Alcazar said, adding that there’s no sign outside of the building advertising for Dahlia.

Dahlia’s coffee cafe in the Pivot Center is hopefully just the beginning of the brand. Alcazar would love to grow into her own brick-and-mortar cafe where she’d be able to offer a larger menu with more authentic Mexican flavors.

“This is something where I could get my foot in the door,” Alcazar said.

Even as the seasons change, Dahlia customers can expect to see a changing menu with options like iced horchata lattes or drinks inspired by other types of Mexican candy.

“I want people to experience something different and get to experience a little bit of Mexico other than just tacos and nachos,” she said.

Dahlia has served several customers who have experienced cities with more robust Mexican coffee culture and express gratitude for now having a similar space in Cleveland.

“Hopefully, [I can] inspire other people to do the same with their culture. My way of doing it is through coffee,” Alcazar. “There’s so many things I missed and if I don’t do it, no one’s going to do it.”

Alex Darus writes about food, dining and drinking for Cleveland.com, check out her latest posts here. You can reach her with story ideas at adarus@cleveland.com. Follow her on Instagram @alex_darus.

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