Meet Kristin Lacy & Vivi Lemus | Co-owners & founders of Convivio Café

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristin Lacy & Vivi Lemus and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristin & Vivi, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Convivio’s two ‘socias’ have very different backgrounds. Kristin, born in the States spent time working in Guatemala, while Vivi, born in Guatemala has lived in the States for a while. Both of us have collaborated with different non profits, The ethos of Convivio Café reflects the dual culture and dual language of our business, pointing to the beautiful diversity and the richness from learning from one another in Denver.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are a immigrant and women owned, Guatemala inspired, fully bilingual Café.

What sets us apart is how we source directly from Guatemalan farmers – we aim to shorten the supply chain by selling coffee roasted at origin (farmer roasted coffee), which keeps more of the value in the hands of the farmers who work so hard and risk so much while growing coffee. We are proud to tell you about the ‘traceability’ of the coffee we bring to Denver: we know the farmers & producers we source from, have visited their farms and roasteries, and keep an open communication; as our business grows, theirs do to.

We also serve ‘antojitos’ (small plates) and pastries with recipes inspired in Guatemala and Latin America sourcing from local ingredients and vendors and making things from scratch.

We are most excited and proud about creating this fully bilingual space – which showcase the diversity of our city. We have a fantastic team that helps embody the concept of Convivio and we use our Café after hours to host all sorts of events that foster that ‘everyone is welcome’ spirit.

Our community and neighbors are what makes Convivio come to life. It is very special to see this concept come to life every day as it resonates with people that support our business and our mission to connect seed to cup to community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Denver is such a wonderful city to visit, and even though it’s so hard to narrow it down, here are some of the places we’d take them to:

Around our neighborhood, we’d suggest delicious sandwiches from Belfiore Italian and exceptional pastries at Get Right’s (both of them, our neighbors on West 38th Ave.)

A walk at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms, and a hike in Deer Creek Canyon. Heading to Athmar Park neighborhood for a banh-mi sandwich on Federal, and then to Westwood for a Chocolate and atole flight at Cultura Chocolate.

We’d take them to the Denver Art Museum – especially to the 4th floor to view the amazing collection of the Art of the Ancient Americas, and to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) with their fun events and beautiful rooftop.

Two of our favorite food trucks would be a must on this Denver, culinary tour; ‘Tostadas Food Truck’ (Guatemalan tostadas), and ‘La Reyna del Sur’ (Oaxacan cuisine) – which you can typically find at some of our best Colorado breweries.

For a special dinner, we’d take them to Sap Sua (non traditional vietnamese) on East Colfax or Lucina for all those homey Latin American flavors in Park Hill.

Best place to hang out – and dance, Raices Brewery – which have set the standard for showcasing the beautiful diversity and culture Denver has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our shoutout is to the beautiful community that has surrounded us from the beginning of our journey. Starting with the neighbors at Athmar Park & Westwood neighborhoods, the non profits that have invited us to collaborate in markets and have hired us for catering and events even before we opened the doors to our brick and mortar. Our current neighbors in the Northside and community that has supported us since we opened our doors in November 2022.

Website: https://es.conviviocafe.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/convivio_cafe_co/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/convivio.cafe.co/

Image Credits
Food photos Michael Walker of Walker Media Building photos & portraits Brooke Leigh Photography