Nicole Sandoval Postma (she/her)
Age: 39
City: Sumas
Lived here for: 12 years
Originally from: Los Angeles
Notable: Owner of Loca Mocha, the only cafe in Sumas.
When did Loca Mocha open, and why did you start it?
This is our fourth year. It was always a dream of mine to open a coffee stand or a cafe … My parents actually owned a coffee place in Ocean Shores for a little while and being entrepreneurs has always run in my family … I just kind of wanted a piece of that but it never really worked out. But one day we were driving past and the stand here in Sumas was available and just on a whim, we reached out … In 24 hours we went from thinking of it as a someday dream to, ‘We now own a coffee stand.’
How does your background reflect in this cafe?
I think it’s a very special mix of the local environment and love for coffee and then my Hispanic upbringing. Our two signature drinks are the Mexi-Mocha and Horchata latte, which around here, typically isn’t something very common … You’ll find a lot of little hidden gems in our menu of things that reflect my culture and also my childhood, and a good mix of local favorites.
What’s your go-to coffee order?
I love the Horchata latte and a lot of people haven’t had it hot because it’s typically an iced drink. And, we make it hot and it’s so good, we put espresso in it … that’s my jam.
Tell me about your mascot, Lola.
I hand-drew her. I knew I wanted her to reflect not only the culture of our business but also a little bit of me, and so that’s why you’ll see, like, those big thick-frame glasses on her. She is white and Hispanic, like me, and has both cultures in there. We actually are working on a children’s book that will tell that story of coming up in a multicultural background and being able to celebrate all aspects of oneself … We did a community vote for (her name) … There were so many votes and the one that made it was Lola.
That’s so special that you were able to involve the community in this business.
Community plays a really, really big part in our business. We’ve always tried to find ways to be involved in the community, but I think especially after the floods that happened, that need just grew and our involvement was so much more. We try to put on a lot of community events that are free for the community. And free is a really important word in that sentence, because we want to make sure that these events are accessible to all families.
What’s your favorite thing about running Loca Mocha?
My favorite part of it is the people. When I train my staff, I’m like, listen, we’re not Starbucks. We need to talk to everybody who comes through the window. We need to know their story … that connection is really powerful for me.
Loca Mocha is located at 120 Front St. in Sumas.
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