Today we’d like to introduce you to Miguel Carreno.
Hi Miguel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story started in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and somehow led me to New Jersey, where I now spend most of my days making coffee, creating content, and explaining why a cup of specialty coffee costs more than $2.
Funny enough, my background is actually in Business Administration, not coffee. But somewhere along the way, I discovered that I was much more passionate about what happens behind an espresso machine than behind an office desk.
I decided to take coffee seriously, became a certified professional barista in Ecuador, and eventually moved to the United States to challenge myself, improve my skills, and experience the specialty coffee industry from a different perspective.
Starting over in another country wasn’t exactly a vacation. New environment, different culture, new challenges, and plenty of moments when I questioned my decisions. But I kept learning, working, and reminding myself why I started.
Today, I’m a professional barista and coffee content creator based in New Jersey. Through my Instagram, @miguerista, I share coffee education, brewing techniques, creative recipes, latte art, and the occasional sarcastic reminder that being a barista involves a lot more than pushing buttons on an espresso machine.
I’ve also had the opportunity to collaborate with coffee brands across the United States and internationally, which has allowed me to combine my passion for coffee with another thing I genuinely enjoy: storytelling.
Outside the coffee world, I’m also a boxer and certified boxing coach. Surprisingly, boxing and being a barista have a lot in common: discipline, patience, precision, and trying to stay calm when everything around you is falling apart.
My long-term goal is to open my own specialty coffee shop. I want to create a place where people can experience great coffee without feeling like they need a PhD in coffee science just to order a cappuccino.
I’m still building my story, still learning, and definitely still making mistakes. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that starting over isn’t necessarily starting from zero. Sometimes it’s just choosing a different direction.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road? Definitely not. Starting over at 40 in a different country wasn’t exactly the easiest decision I’ve ever made.
Moving from Ecuador to the United States meant adapting to a new environment, building connections from scratch, and proving myself in the specialty coffee industry.
One of my biggest challenges has been turning my passion for coffee into a professional career while learning how to create content, grow an organic audience, and work with brands.
There have been financial sacrifices, frustrating moments, and plenty of self-doubt. And of course, spending hours editing a video only to get 200 views while a random coffee joke gets thousands. Social media really knows how to keep you humble.
But every challenge has taught me something. I’m still learning, growing, and working toward my dream of opening my own specialty coffee shop.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a professional barista and coffee content creator based in New Jersey, originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador. I specialize in specialty coffee, espresso, brewing techniques, latte art, and creating content that makes coffee education entertaining rather than intimidating.
Through my Instagram, @miguerista, I combine my barista experience with storytelling, humor, and creative recipes. My goal is to show people that specialty coffee can be fascinating without making them feel like they need a chemistry degree to understand their morning latte.
I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with coffee brands across the United States and internationally, creating original videos that highlight their products while keeping my content authentic and relatable.
What I’m most proud of is building my own identity in the coffee industry after starting over in a new country. I didn’t arrive with a huge audience or a list of connections. I’ve built relationships and opportunities through consistency, creativity, and a genuine passion for coffee.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m not just someone reviewing coffee products. I actually work behind an espresso machine, understand the craft, and know what happens when theory meets a busy coffee shop.
I also don’t take myself too seriously. Coffee is already complicated enough without someone making you feel guilty for ordering an iced vanilla latte.
Ultimately, I want my content to educate, entertain, and connect people with great coffee, while continuing to work toward my dream of opening my own specialty coffee shop.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is coming up with new ideas and turning them into something real, especially when I know that what I create might brighten someone’s day.
I love the entire creative process, from having a random idea while making coffee to figuring out how to bring it to life through a video, a new drink, or a funny story.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about creating something from scratch and knowing that, somewhere, someone might smile, laugh, learn something new, or simply have a better day because of it.
For me, creativity isn’t just about making content or getting views. It’s about connecting with people and making even a small positive impact.
And the best part? Sometimes the ideas I think are completely ridiculous turn out to be the ones people enjoy the most. So I’ve learned not to underestimate my questionable creativity.
At the end of the day, knowing that something I created made someone happy is what makes me happy too.
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