Our Story
Café Fuerte started with a simple feeling we were always chasing.
We both loved coffee, but we kept running into the same problem. So many drinks looked right, but they felt empty. We wanted something stronger. Not harsh or bitter, just full. The kind of coffee you can hold with both hands on a cold morning. Bold, smooth, warm, and satisfying enough to make you pause for a second and think, “That’s it.”
That feeling is where the name Café Fuerte came from. We wanted coffee with depth. Coffee that felt comforting and alive at the same time. Something with enough body to stand on its own, but smooth enough to settle into.
The whole thing started at home with an old espresso machine Ben’s father gave us. It had been sitting unused for years, and at first, it was just something to play around with. Then we started paying closer attention. The grind. The timing. The way a small adjustment could completely change the cup. What began as curiosity slowly became something we cared about more and more.
Jessica was the first one to see it as something bigger. She had the idea to turn our love of coffee into a real event business, and from there we started building it together. The coffee, the carts, the service process, the branding, and all of the behind-the-scenes details came together one piece at a time. Cafe Fuerte has always been a shared project, shaped by both of us in different ways.
Since then, Café Fuerte has grown into a mobile coffee experience built for events across Oregon. We still care about the same thing that started it all: a strong, smooth cup of coffee that gives people a reason to pause and enjoy the moment. But now, that cup is part of something bigger. It is part of weddings, company events, celebrations, and the kinds of gatherings where the small details shape how people remember the day.
