Perry Warehouse Fills Grocery Gaps In The U.S.
By Christina Fernández-Morrow
Like many young people who graduated from Perry High School, Walter Juarez is a first-generation Iowan with big dreams born of his childhood and culture. Those dreams came to fruition with a three-acre coffee farm in Guatemala’s mountains. Today, he’s filling semi-trucks with more than 50 imported shipping containers of snacks, beverages, and coffee products destined for grocers across eight states. His business transformation began when the pandemic forced him to reimagine his vision.
Juarez visited Guatemala every summer, indulging in the snacks and beverages unique to the country. As an adult with a business degree, he combined those memories with a plan, resulting in Mountain High Coffee Roasters. When Hispanic grocers began asking for the juices, chips, and snacks he grew up eating, Juarez discovered an even bigger opportunity. His Central America Food and Beverage distribution business now outpaces his coffee sales.
It began in 2013 when Juarez and his brother, fresh out of high school, bought the coffee farm as an investment. “In Guatemala, coffee grows everywhere. Our dream was to bridge the supply chain to create a direct supply chain to connect our family and culture to Iowa,” Juarez said. While in college, he used the farm as inspiration to complete his business degree, outlining a model to import and distribute Guatemalan coffee across Iowa. It took an additional six years to transform that idea into an LLC.
By 2019, his college business plan was a reality. Then COVID-19 shut down global trade.
“Our target market was coffee roasters, but we had to pivot and started roasting our beans because we could no longer import raw goods,” Juarez said. His solution: Roast the beans himself and rebrand as a retail line.
Juarez tapped into his Iowa connections, got his coffee into Fareway and Hy-Vee, and created custom blends for Principal Financial Group. Hispanic businesses supported the venture, too.
The pivot paid off. As their coffee gained a following, Juarez saw a bigger opportunity when grocery store owners began asking for Guatemalan juice, chips, and other snacks. That demand led to the launch of Central America Food and Beverage.
In the two years since Juarez began importing a broader variety of products, demand has surpassed that of his coffee. “We sell in eight states. The growth we’ve had is tremendous,” Juarez said. “It’s been a process, and we continue to grow with the support we’ve gotten in Iowa.”
Coffee opened doors to distribution rights from major Guatemalan manufacturers, which Juarez leveraged to solve U.S. retailers’ supply problems. He runs the distribution business from a warehouse in Perry, employing local residents and helping build the town’s economy.
Juarez’s approach to building relationships and solving problems shapes the advice he gives aspiring entrepreneurs.
“Relationships are important; not just having them, but cultivating them and bringing solutions to people,” Juarez said. “As a business owner, you wear many hats. Like today when one of my employees was sick and I unloaded a full semi-truck by myself. You can’t be afraid to do the work.”
He credits the Iowa culture of helping others, the networks he built, and resources like the Iowa Center for Economic Success as factors in his success. But he admits that his success didn’t happen in a vacuum. “Be a risk-taker and want to be better and do better. Knock on doors, make the calls, show up to make connections,” he said.
While Juarez has his sights set on expanding distribution to more states, he hasn’t forgotten his original motivation or the value of helping others navigate business ownership. He collaborated with another small-business owner to open a coffee shop at the Center at Sixth Avenue in Des Moines, where his beans are whipped into drinks for patrons and guests. He also meets with future entrepreneurs and offers guidance based on the lessons he’s learned.
“People come to me for advice and I share because we’re all just learning and trying. Nobody has all the answers,” Juarez said. Indeed, when it comes to navigating the business world, working together is key to exposure, partnership opportunities, and growth.
Follow Walter Juarez on LinkedIn for updates on Central American Food and Beverage, and on Facebook to learn more about Mountain High Coffee.
This article also available in Spanish at www.holaamericanews.com.
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