Maria Cuellar and David Briceño, from Cali (Colombia), arrived in Buenos Aires in February 2017. 4 years later, on 15 June 2021, they inaugurated “Que Dicha”, a beautiful coffee store that specializes in coffee and traditional food from Colombia.
María and David arrived in Argentina with a dream: people in Argentina have to drink real coffee from Colombia. But being a foreigner is never an easy job. They had problems: “Our biggest challenges were papers. First, because we are not we are not citizen locks and all that is complicated. We had to have a guarantor and so much money. It was very difficult but the truth is we were very lucky in that aspect. We made it, we were persevering. We looked for how we could do it and in the end, we achieved it. Also, we met very trustworthy people and they also helped us in everything”.
David is 27 years old and he came to Argentina with his girlfriend, Maria: “I came to study sports and Maríamedicine. But we had to work also. We didn’t think of coming and undertaking. I learned in Colombia a little about coffee and other things and María studied gastronomy”.
Starting a project in another country is difficult because you need a lot of money and sometimes help from the government. In this case, Maria and David know about the situation of the country and in 2021, after the pandemic, all was more problematic: “We don´t receive any help from the government. It wasn´t an option because of the papers. So, we did the financing directly in Colombia. We looked for a way to finance ourselves with bank loans and we brought here to Buenos Aires”.
“Dicha” is a word that means bliss. Maria and David want a person who drinks their coffee to feel “satisfied and comfortable. Also when they leave the coffee store they will say, What a bliss this place. We want this name because of its meaning and it is perfect for our adventure”. In the future, they want to take their coffee to other places in Argentina and also to another city in Buenos Aires, “we know that we can´t only have a coffee store. My dream is to teach and show how you can roast coffee and talk more about my beautiful country. Connect with them throw the coffee”.
- What would you say to people who want to undertake, but are not encouraged?
I would tell them to search for what they like. Being passionate about that they know it and go with their ideals and build what they want to convey to other people. Search for good advice, around good people next to you too. It’s not easy. Probably you have a lot of doubts and most of the time you want to give up. But don’t do it. Try very hard every day and do it with love. If you do that, you got it.
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