Tejana Coffee, a coffee cart pop-up, was born about two months ago from Jackie Hernandez’s love of two worlds: Mexico and Texas, and the soulful ranchero traditions that exist deep in the roots of each place.
“In Mexico, ranch life is full of music, hard work, and community; in Texas, the land carries that same spirit of grit and hospitality,” Hernandez says. “‘Tejana’ felt like the perfect name because it’s more than a word, it’s a bridge between these cultures and a reflection of who I am.”
Hernandez’s love for coffee emerged during her school years, when she began going to coffee shops to study. This third space soon became her home away from home, so much so that she would stay at these coffee shops from opening to close, which only sped up her coffee shop dreams.
“As I went through college, I loved coffee, and after college, I have my nine-to-five now, but I’ve always wanted to open up either a coffee shop or be involved in the coffee industry,” Hernandez says.
A coffee cart was the perfect start to her coffee journey, along with a celebratory trip to her hometown of Leon, Guanajuato, in Mexico, after receiving permanent resident status earlier this year. She used this trip to research coffee beans and relish in her roots after being away for almost 25 years.
“I needed to go back to Mexico and just go honor my culture, and that's where the idea of looking for coffee came, a lot of coffee shops in Mexico are very rich in culture, and so I was like, ‘How can I bring this coffee over to the United States?,’” Hernandez says.
Jackie Hernandez and her team pop up at various events; watch social media for details.
Melanie Hernandez
The flavor profiles she has selected are mainly chocolatey and nutty, like Balam, a medium roast coffee from Motozintla, Chiapas, and a fruity and floral option like Alebrije, a light roast coffee from Papaloapan, Oaxaca, which is Hernandez’s favorite.
“I knew I wanted to focus on Mexican coffee because the regions that we're bringing from are rich in tradition and how they harvest their coffee, so I knew there was something here that we could honor in Dallas,” Hernandez says.
The second partner is Talavera Coffee, a Mexican-inspired roaster based in Magnolia, TX, which provides specialty coffee. Hernandez places high value on selecting partners.
“I want to make sure that the coffee I'm bringing is ethically sourced, and they have fair trade agreements within these regions of Mexico, where the farmers are getting paid what they’re deserving of, and also the quality of the beans is very important to me too, so it's a balancing of all those different things,” Hernandez says.
Apart from coffee, Tejana Coffee has selected to feature Mira Matcha, a Latina-owned, San Antonio-based brand that specializes in Latin-inspired matcha flavors. Hernandez makes it a point to support Latin-owned businesses and emphasizes the need to support the community. That is why a portion of every matcha sale goes to support Girls on the Run, an organization empowering young girls through fitness and mentorship.
Hernandez’s allyship is not only rooted in coffee but also in community, and she demonstrates it with every pop-up she takes part in. The first pop-ups were collaborations with Latina-owned fitness companies, which are now frequent partners. She’s even created a fitness-inspired menu featuring items like agua de jamaica with electrolytes, protein iced coffee, and a fixed energy drink with mineral water, lime, chamoy and tajin.
“We had our first event with Latina Pilates Club here in Dallas, and it was particularly a series for the Latino community to get together, it was during the time when the ICE raids were happening in Los Angeles, and they reached out to bring the community together and create awareness of what's happening, but also support our community and give back,” Hernandez says.
The ultimate goal for Tejana Coffee is to keep helping her community by opening a type of internet cafe that is accessible to anyone looking for space to work in. Hernandez wants to provide workspaces with computers and other similar technology, as well as mentorship opportunities for business owners, artists and anyone looking for guidance.
Tejana Coffee wants to create a hub of resources where people can come work, hang out, feel safe and feel like they belong.
“Mexico, to me, is really the core of who we are, and with everything that's going on, it's really important to highlight that people from Mexico can create their business and be established in Dallas,” Hernandez says. “We have a lot to offer, from our food to our culture to our arts, so I try to keep that in mind always, like why we're doing this, who we're doing it for, and how can we show up for our community?”
Check out Tejana Coffee on social media to see where they pop up next!
