Meet Judith Gonzalez Reyes | Holy Frap AZ, Coffee Truck Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judith Gonzalez Reyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judith, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
My goal since 2007 has been to own my own coffee shop/business. Now that I have started my coffee truck, there is no giving up. This is what I have wanted for so long and it finally became a reality. As long as I continue to have the love and passion for the business, I will continue to move forward.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own Holy Frap AZ, a mobile coffee truck where we specialize in fraps but offer a variety of drink options such as energy drink concoctions, lemonades and refreshers.

One thing that I believe sets us apart from other coffee trucks are the Latin inspired specialty drinks we offer.

For our fraps, we have Horchata, Mazapán (Mexican peanut butter) and Fresas con Crema.

Our refreshers are a twist of aguas frescas and lemonades.

One thing I’m excited about is getting exposure as a Latina owned business throughout the community and use that to raise awareness of the importance and effects of small businesses in the valley. Additionally, my husband and I have always liked helping others, whether it is supporting local businesses or helping those in need especially during the holidays. I would like to use my business connections to create and help organize events that will not only feature Latin business owners and the beautiful culture we have to offer, but also increase sales and create job opportunities all together.

We have been in business for less than two months so we have a long road ahead of us. The challenges that we have faced as of now have not been easy but together, my husband, sister and I work hard to overcome them and are prepared to work through any obstacles. As people can imagine, working with family has it’s challenges, but in the end, we all have a common goal and we are working towards that.

Starting your own business is harder than anyone will ever let you know. The way I look at it is, if I have to work for the rest of my life, why not work on something I am passionate about? Working in the Coffee truck doesn’t feel like work to me. It is my dream come true and I would like for my 2 year old daughter to eventually reap the rewards and inherit good working habits from having a family owned business.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them hiking to the various hiking trails Phoenix has to offer.

Breakfast/Brunch: Almuerzo, Colados, Burrito House, Mi Ofrenda, Vovomeena, First Watch, Breakfast Bitch, Butters.

Coffee: Copper Star, Lola, Giant, Pura Vida, PHX Grind, Native, MFG, Hanai,

Shopping: Retail Therapy AZ, Kid to Kid, Goodwill, Tanger outlets

Art/Culture: Arizona Latino Cultural Center, Art Museum

Dinner: Grand Ave Pizza Company, Carlsbad Tavern, Phoenix Coqui, Comedor Guadalajara, Red Devil, Ziggy’s

Music/Show/Night out: Phoenix Symphony Hall, The Van Buren, Crescent Ballroom, Cobra Arcade, Stardust Pin bar.

I love to support local because the love and appreciation the owners have for customers is a great feeling. I enjoy hearing the stories of how a business originated. It gives me hope seeing local businesses doing well.

New venues, events, cute artsy or small places feel more intimate.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First off, I’d like to acknowledge that everything I have is thanks to God. Secondly, the love and support of my husband Ronny has allowed me to remain focused in completing my career goals. When I started dating Ronny, I was a supervisor at a coffee shop and with his encouragement, I was able to find the motivation to go back to school & became a full time math teacher, and now a business owner. My baby sister/business partner, Julissa for believing in my success and having the patience to be in the coffee truck with me all day long. Finally, my parents because without them, I wouldn’t be here. Dulce & José, Marco and Dawn for always believing in my dream and doing whatever they could to support my decisions. It also does not go unnoticed how many friends and family members have supported me in my business in this short amount of time.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/holyfrap_az?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolyFrapAZ/

Image Credits
Julissa Gonzalez