Key Deal Facts
In a typical coffee house, you need to be an 'expert' to order. Especially if you're not white, not a hipster, or don't speak English.
Many of the immigrants in our community come from the same countries where some of our best and most loved coffee and food are produced. But those places and people are not well-known or represented in most coffee shops.
Especially after COVID, climate and political challenges, we all have a heightened need for those "third places" in society that bring us social connection across cultural lines.
Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Kristin Lacy
Co-Owner
I started my first barista job at my hometown's only coffee shop and became fascinated by the power of cafés to make community connections flourish. Over the years, I've worked locally and abroad in community development including three years in Guatemalan where farmers' graciously let me sleep on their floor and learn to harvest corn with their kiddos. I also learned a lot about the limitations of the coffee supply chain and how little of the profits stayed with farmers. I fell in love with the warm and welcoming hospitality of Guatemala, being invited to so many convivios and early morning cafecitos with families that welcomed me with open arms as and always fed me til I was past full. After coming back to Denver, I've loved being a part of the incredible and diverse community in Southwest Denver whether through supporting Vietnamese business owners on Federal, building food access programs with Re:Vision Promotoras, and sharing garden goodies on my very Latinx block. I love gathering people who want to talk ideas for building a better world. At Convivio, I want to share my passion for the power of cafes to build community, and set tables where we all feel welcome.
Vivi Lemus
Co-Owner
I was born in Guatemala, immersed in a culture that revolves around hospitality, café, and delicious food. I always loved to cook (and eat), with one of my earliest memories playing ‘restaurant’ with my twin sister in Guatemala - I made the food, the menus, set the table and served, while my sister was always the welcome guest. I am a self-taught cook, and since immigrating to Colorado I've aimed to recreate the same sense of a welcoming community around my own table, always finding any good excuse to cook, host, and feed people. I've been a cooking class instructor with Re:Vision, as well as with the kiddos at the Sun Valley Kitchen. I have always wanted to have a place where all can be welcome and to share that same spirit where I grew up, which so many other cultures also share. At Convivio, I want to share the recipes I was raised on and create the welcoming open space where guests can breathe and just be.
