Made in House: Houston is presented by The Speke Originals Network (https://www.spekepodcasting.com/spekeoriginals)

Oscar Gushiken shares how he and his wife built Dulcedo Coffee in Fulshear while navigating COVID, landlord rejection, a full-time career, and the realities of small-business ownership. It is a story of community, adaptation, specialty coffee, and betting on a neighborhood before it was built.

Learn more about Dulcedo: https://www.dulcedo.coffee/

Key takeaways

1. Oscar and his wife opened Dulcedo Coffee in October 2019, just months before pandemic shutdowns.

2. Grab-and-go service, online ordering, and delivery apps helped the shop navigate COVID uncertainty.

3. Exclusive-use lease clauses and landlord skepticism led to approximately 30 to 50 location rejections.

4. Dulcedo took a risk by signing a lease in a new development before the surrounding neighborhood was built.

5. Oscar balances coffee-shop ownership with a full-time job, relying on his wife and a trusted team.

6. The menu has expanded from strict specialty coffee to include customer-preferred larger drinks.

7. Customer relationships inspired signature menu items such as John’s Breakfast and Nikita’s Triple Cheese.