GABRIEL
NAVARRO
Gabriel is a respected name within the global coffee community and is now making waves in the spirited world of Mezcal. He leads with his heart and passion for connecting people and believes you don’t need to be a dick to succeed.
Q: WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
A: In Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I've been there for almost 14 years. I’m Canadian and Mexican and feel at home in both countries. My dual citizenship has allowed me to open businesses in Canada and Mexico.
Q: WHERE ARE NOW?
A: Right now, I’m in Mexico for our mezcal. I came to see some warehousing for Mexico City in Oaxaca, to see new designs for our bottles, and to see a few people who are going to be involved. I’m also working on importing specialty milks. I work with a company that imports several brands of oat milk from the UK and Canada, and almond/soy milk from Japan. Currently in Mexico everything you can find is very commercial, but the coffee community is so tiny and they talk to each to get the best products. I’m helping bring those products here.
Q: WHEN DID YOU BECOME “COFFEE MAN”?
A: I used to be the Coffee Director for Soho House in North America, and it opened a lot of doors. I got to meet, talk coffee and set up personal coffee bars for high-profile celebrities which was crazy, and landed me the nick-name, “Coffee Man!”. Soho House encouraged me and pushed me in a way that no other company has done since. They paid for my coffee education and gave me all the credentials. I am forever grateful.
Q: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL?
Don’t be a dick. It’s the secret of any industry. If you’re not a jerk, you can thrive. Your reputation always stays.
For example, I used to be a graphic designer. I worked in Mexico City, and then started an agency with some buddies. We were a one hit wonder with a few big brands. Creatively we got to do whatever we wanted. We realized we could do a lot of good by promoting being nice and not taking advantage of people. People notice, and it’s reciprocal. I translated that into what coffee is all about.
Q: HOW HAS MEXICO INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER?
One thing that Mexico has, is tremendous hospitality. If you are sitting at their table, they will treat you like a king. They welcome you with open arms. So, I started applying that hospitality in Canada. It didn’t matter who you were, I didn’t care. I wanted people to come to the shop I was working at because of the experience. Coffee, anyone can drink anywhere. Most of the time people don’t care about the coffee, they care about how that coffee made them feel that day, that moment, and the person who made it for them. It’s the experience. I continue to apply that same hospitality to everything I do. For myself and anyone who works with me.
Q: HOW DID THE PANDEMIC IMPACT COFFEE?
A: Over the pandemic, people started identifying good coffee and good grinders. We saw an increase in specialty coffees in Toronto. People were at home and educating themselves. Businesses can’t get away with shit coffee. You have to be ethical. People are interested in getting a better product.
Q: WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE NOW?
A: It is not the language, it’s not cultural, it is sometimes people not wanting to share. That is the biggest issue. People guard their recipes as if they are ‘the man who discovered black thread’ (Spanish analogy). But how do you expect to make more money and grow? Not enough people have that vision.
Q: HOW DO YOU FOSTER COMMUNITY?
A: There’s a lot of people who are better in coffee than me. The difference is that I like to bring people together and form connections. I am constantly putting people in touch with one another. It’s just a text or email away.
To me, it’s a matter of ethics and principles to freely connect people.
Q: HOW DO YOU BUILD RESILIENCE?
A: Since I started in coffee within Canada, I’ve had a lot of downs. But every time I get up, it’s better. It comes with experience, but it still hurts every single time. You put all your effort, all your time in, and then you get screwed over…you think, oh, f*ck! Then you stay on the ground for a bit, sleep, eat, drink, spend time with family, and get back up.
My family has played a huge role. With my children and my beautiful wife, we’ve been through hell. Now we can have steak and wine for dinner, but a few years back it was hard to buy a box of macaroni and cover rent. That’s the ups and downs within this industry.
Q: WHAT IS THE BEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN?
A: Taking the risk of doing coffee, because coffee is not well paid. I have four kids, and my wife. How am I going to feed all these little ones with a barista wage? There are way more jobs that pay more, and you do less. But once I got into coffee and mezcal, I knew, this is what I wanted.
My business partner in Mezcal is Enrique Marin Marin (Yes double Marin, double trouble) is one of a kind. My passion for coffee can't even compare to his passion for mezcal. That's why I partnered with him. He's humble and his passion is just incredible.
It’s all a risk because you’re always starting from zero. Opening a coffee shop, a roastery or a mezcal brand. 80% of the time is doesn’t work and people just don’t understand hospitality. It doesn’t work right away. You don’t see good numbers for 2 or 3 years if you’re lucky. Sometimes year 5 or 7. You invest so much time and money and then when it’s not working, you stop and lose everything.
If you just push and break that barrier you'll see results and then you can expand. That’s when the risks start to pay off.
Q: IN BUSINESS, WHAT DO YOU FIND EXHILARATING?
A: Of course I love money, I love to be paid and buy stuff with money but it’s the satisfaction of knowing that I created something that works and people benefited from it. To see a coffee shop built from scratch that you were a part of, or a Mezcal brand.
It’s thrilling, exhilarating, and empowering.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FAIR WAGES?
A: If you pay people right, and if you treat them legally, ethically, and emotionally right, then they aren’t thinking about how to eat and pay for rent, instead they will focus their energy and creativity on the product.
Q: WHAT WORD BEST DESCRIBES YOUR CURRENT EMOTIONAL STATE?
A: Limbo. Because I’m flying and I can see all the things happening. It’s right there in reach. I have the milk, the coffee and the mezcal. Those are three things that make me really happy in my professional life. In limbo, because I’m floating, nervous and excited. Sometimes I doubt myself, and then the following day, I wake up and know it can be done.
Q: CAN YOU SHARE RECENT MOMENTS OF PROGRESS, CREATIVITY & LOVE?
PROGRESS – In the past 3 weeks, I’ve be in 9 cities and 3 different countries. It’s awesome at the stage I’m at in my life that I can pick up and go without an issue. And I can see progress every time I come to Mexico. Now we are not only talking about things, we’re actually doing them. There’s a certain tranquility knowing that I am taken care of. I can focus now.
CREATIVITY – The creativity of creating jobs here in Mexico. I’m not built like a normal human being, I always do things differently, more creatively. My path is not straight. I will always take extra steps so I can gain more experience and trust, and more things to consider.
LOVE – I saw the people who actually loved me and wanted to be around me with the past closures of my coffee shops in Toronto, and the horrible experience with my previous business partner. People found out what was happening to me without just speculating. When people realized the actual story, my friends offered me jobs to help me out, because they knew I wouldn’t accept charity. There’s no proud moment. I went from an amazing wage being an owner, to having nothing and being in debt.
I saw the love in my family. My children are 9, 7, 4, and 2. They reassure me and believe in me. They loved my coffee shops and still want to go. It was their favorite place. The trust that these little people have in me as their dad is incredible. We would need a whole other session to talk about my wife. Any crazy, ridiculous, obnoxious project, thought, wish, desire, she has been there to help me out and lift me up. She is doing her own things and has her own company as well. She grounds me.
And being in Mexico. We’re a different breed here. We need to eat together, drink together, hang out together. It’s all about touchy feely family kissing and hugging!
Q: HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
A. It depends. Sometimes I’m in the mood for an espresso. If I’m working somewhere, I’ll get a drip coffee. But if I actually want to enjoy a coffee, I’ll get a cappuccino (with heavy cream). And you’ll also find me dunking a croissant into my cappuccino!
Q: HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR MEZCAL?
A. I enjoy cocktails, but I usually have my mezcal straight. I want to taste all the notes. In Mexico they say that with tequila you can shoot it up, but Mezcal, you need to kiss it, and then it will kiss you back.
Rapid Fire Questions
TRUTH OR DARE?
Truth
CITY OR COUNTRYSIDE?
City
OCEAN OR MOUNTAINS?
Ocean
SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer
ORDER IN OR EAT OUT?
Eat out
FAST OR SLOW?
Slow
ANALOG OR DIGITAL
Digital (to leave more time for analog)
SUNRISE OR SUNSET?
Sunset
CLASSIC OR MODERN?
Classic
SAVOURY OR SWEET?
Sweet
MEET THE LOVELY
Katherine Holland
Photographer / Artist
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