Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Zuniga.
Hi Jimmy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Caf Me If You Can started with a simple idea: create a coffee experience that felt fun, personal, and connected to the community.
What began as a mobile coffee cart quickly became much more of an experiment in entrepreneurship. We started popping up throughout Hoboken and Jersey City, serving everything from morning commuters to residential communities, private celebrations, and corporate events. Along the way, I learned firsthand what it takes to build a business, from branding and customer experience to pricing, operations, sales, and figuring out what actually works versus what simply sounds like a good idea.
Not everything worked, and that became an important part of the story. Daily pop-ups taught me a lot about foot traffic, weather, competition, changing consumer habits, and the importance of building a business that can adapt. Eventually, I made the decision to step away from the daily pop-up model and focus on the parts of Caf that showed the most potential.
One of those was our cold brew, which consistently became one of our most popular products. That eventually inspired Caf’d Brew, our bottled cold brew line, allowing us to take something people already loved and create a product that could exist beyond the coffee cart.
Today, Caf continues to evolve through bottled cold brew, private events, collaborations, and Caf & Chats, where we use coffee as a way to sit down with local founders, creatives, and community members and share their stories.
The business has been a great experience, one of being willing to try something, listening to the community, learning from the numbers, pivoting when necessary, and continuing to build from there.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think that’s been one of the most valuable parts of building a business. When I started Caf Me If You Can, a large part of the model was centered around daily pop-ups. That gave me an incredible opportunity to test the concept in real time, build relationships with customers, and learn what people responded to, but it also exposed some challenges with the operating model.
Weather, inconsistent foot traffic, seasonality, competition, and the amount of time required to physically operate the cart made it difficult to scale sustainably. There were days when everything worked perfectly and others when the numbers simply didn’t make sense.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is not to become too attached to the original idea. I’ve had to look at the data, listen to customers, and be willing to change direction. That ultimately led me to step away from daily pop-ups and focus more on private events, community collaborations, and Caf’d Brew.
As you know, we’re big fans of Caf Me If You Can. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Today, Caf Me If You Can is primarily a mobile café that specializes in private events and experiences. We do everything from weddings and birthdays to corporate events, grand openings, wellness events, and brand activations.
I think what makes us a little different is that I’ve never wanted Caf Me If You Can to feel like we simply showed up, made coffee, and left. The coffee obviously has to be great, but I’ve always cared just as much about the experience around it.
Sometimes that means creating a signature drink specifically for an event. Sometimes it’s putting someone’s logo on the cups, designing a custom menu, or naming a drink after their dog. Other times it’s simply remembering someone’s order, or my favorite: having a conversation with them while they’re waiting for their latte. Those little interactions are a big part of what the brand is to me.
Our menu is centered around espresso drinks, cold brew, and specialty lattes. Our Salted Caramel and S’mores Lattes have probably become two of the drinks we’re best known for. We also offer matcha, chai, and can customize the menu depending on the event.
More recently, I’ve also started exploring what Caf Me If You Can looks like beyond the cart through Caf’d Brew, our bottled cold brew. That’s been exciting because it’s the first time I’ve been able to take something people enjoyed at the cart and turn it into a product they can take home and keep in their refrigerator.
Brand-wise, I think what I’m most proud of is that Caf Me If You Can has developed its own personality.
Coffee has become very aesthetic, and there are a lot of beautiful coffee brands out there, but I never wanted mine to feel overly serious or like it was trying to fit into a particular mold. Our branding is colorful and playful. We say things like “How can I Caf ya?” and “Thanks for Caf’in with us.” Even the name Caf Me If You Can doesn’t take itself too seriously.
And that’s intentional.
There are plenty of places where you can get a great cup of coffee. I think what people remember about Caf Me If You Can is the feeling around it.
That’s probably what I want readers to know most. Yes, we cater events. Yes, we make espresso, lattes, cold brew, matcha, and all of those things. But ultimately, coffee is just the thing that gives us an excuse to connect with people.
If someone walks away with a great latte, that’s great.
If they walk away with a great latte and a moment they remember, that’s Caf Me If You Can.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was always curious, energetic, and probably a little all over the place. I was the type of kid who wanted to understand how things worked, but I also loved creating, exploring, and finding ways to connect with people.
I think a lot of who I am today was already there in some form. I’ve always enjoyed trying new things and challenging myself, even if I didn’t necessarily know where those qualities would eventually lead me.
My interests have changed throughout different stages of my life, but curiosity has been constant. Whether it was business, finance, travel, food, coffee, or simply learning about other people and their experiences.
Looking back, I can see how those pieces eventually came together in the work I do today. Caf Me If You Can, and especially projects like Caf & Chats, have become an extension of that curiosity, a way to create something while also connecting with people and giving their stories a place to be heard.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cafmeiyc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cafme_ifyoucan/
