Eduardo Garces Credits Tunxis for His Growing Coffee Business

While he comes from a Colombian coffee farming family, Eduardo Garces believes that his successful coffee shop came from the knowledge and tools he acquired from his “family” at Tunxis Community College.

“This is Tunxis right here,” said Garces, motioning around Café Real, his coffee shop in Bristol which he opened in 2019 just months before the pandemic hit. “You can get to a whole different place by making this investment in yourself.” He said everything he has learned in business at Tunxis—from capital allocation to depreciation –has come in handy at the café.

Garces first attended Tunxis to learn English after immigrating from Colombia, before enrolling in the college’s business program. He learned a lot about business strategy from his professors, many of whom shared real-world experiences as leaders in business. “When you have a business you think works, it can fall apart from things you don’t know, and it can be expensive,” noted Garces, an entrepreneur at heart, who has owned businesses in the past.

“At Tunxis, you get every dollar back,” said Garces. “Everything I know is because of Tunxis.”

Garces received the 2021 Small Business Award from Central CT Chamber for the café, which is based on the simple concept of creating multiple flavors of coffee from one type of bean using a sustainable business model. In the beginning, he started with a single 154-pound bag of coffee beans he roasted himself as he tested out the market, which has turned into regular orders of 275 bags to keep up with the demand.

Café Real has become a destination for the community and leaders from all around the area while also offering a warm cup to those in need, funded through customer donations. With steady business and community support, he’s now working on finishing the café’s roastery and developing plans to expand. For more information on Café Real, visit caferealco.com.