“It means sweetness [in] medieval Latin. I’m one of those people that sometimes prays in Latin,” Gushiken said. “If you look around [the shop], there's certain Christian elements here and there. ... That's just part of who I am.”
The coffee shop opened in November 2019 near the intersection of FM 1463 and FM 1093 in the still-developing Richmond community. In the few months before COVID-19 shut down businesses in the area, Gushiken said the warmth and kindness of his staff helped to build their customer base.
“Small things make a huge difference,” he said. “We try to give off a great vibe because we really want people to be happy to come in.”
The inspiration
Gushiken’s heritage is a mixture of Mexican and Japanese. He grew up in Veracruz—a coastal state in the southeast area of the Gulf of Mexico and the second-largest coffee-producing state in Mexico.
“I've been nearly a lifelong coffee drinker,” Gushiken said. “The area where my family comes from, we have 200-year-old coffee shops. So it's also part of the culture.”
His cultural background and professional experience in IT management, coupled with his wife’s experience as a restaurant manager, made opening a coffee shop make sense, he said.
Perhaps even more importantly, Gushiken said, he and his wife often met up in coffee shops when they were both in college. It’s the comfortable environment of coffee shops that brings people together, he said.
“There's something very intimate about sitting down and eating together—having coffee together,” Gushiken said. “You build bonds, and you strengthen bonds.”
What's special about it?
It's this element of human connection that Gushiken said he enjoys most about running his business. It means a lot to him that Richmond residents convene at Dulcedo Coffee.
“We have people that telecommute or study here,” he said. “People [are] having all kinds of meetings here: book clubs, Bible studies; we've [even] seen people bring in racks of clothing to display. Sometimes they’re just having private business meetings—but they choose to have it here.”
Gushiken said there is something very loving about serving people, and one of the things that sets them apart is the customer-focused service he and his team provide.
Though Dulcedo is not 100% a specialty shop, they are mindful of the science behind a well-brewed cup of coffee, Gushiken said, and there’s also a more abstract ingredient that he said makes a unique roast.
“We pay attention to the details—ratios, extraction times, temperatures. We've been trying to make sure we're tamping espresso at 30 pounds of pressure,” Gushiken said. “The other answer would be you have to make it with love. That’s what makes a great cup of coffee.”
Dulcedo Coffee
- 26750 FM 1093, Ste. 120, Richmond
- www.dulcedo.coffee
