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DIVISION OF APPLIED UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
BRONX TIMES R 14 EPORTER, MARCH 6-12, 2020 BTR
Coffee co. dream grows
after toiling in the sun
BY JASON COHEN
Hector Castillo-Carvajal
didn’t grow up wealthy
or have parents that
worked on Wall Street,
but today the 23-year-old
has his own coffee business.
Castillo-Carvajal was
born in a small village in
the Dominican Republic
and at 8-years-old immigrated
to Fordham.
He comes from a family
of farmers in the DR,
but has exceeded expectations
by being the fi rst in
his family to attend college.
Growing up in a poor
part of the Bronx encouraged
him to fi nd success
and in April 2019,
he launched Don Carvajal
Café, in honor of his
grandfather, which is
currently in 40 stores,
three supermarkets and
one coffee shop.
“It’s a good feeling,”
he said. “This has always
been my dream.” Castillo
Carvajal recalled how
when he was a kid he
would sell mangos that
fell off trees.
While he originally
wanted to be a baseball
player or a cop, he became
focused on business
in high school. He created
a brand called Dream
Chasers and sold hats, Tshirts
and patches and
candy on the train.
But, he was skipping
school and his mom Estabania
sent him to the DR
for six months to work on
the farm. While picking
crops in the blazing sun
he learned how important
it was to get a good
education .
“If it wasn’t for that
experience I don’t know
where I would be right
now,” he explained. “It instilled
a sense of hunger
for success.”
Upon returning, he
had a new perspective on
life. One day while selling
candy, he ran into a
woman named Minga
Tavares, who asked him
if he ever thought about
college.
They chatted and
eventually she offered
him an internship at her
insurance agency.
“I loved it because as
a kid from an impoverished
background from a
disenfranchised community
I was in midtown in
a suit,” he said. “I didn’t
even know how to tie a
tie.”
He kept focused, graduated
with honors and
eventually attended the
University of Rochester
for business marketing.
He slowly began to learn
the trade and in the winter
of 2018 everything
changed while doing an
internship at his brother
Yony Feliz Carvajal’s
company.
Castillo-Carvajal began
a business relationship
with the vendor who
supplied the offi ce coffee.
He suggested a businessmarketing
plan to create
an organic, natural coffee.
The vendor said no
thanks.
However, he was not
discouraged.
“I thought it was going
somewhere and I loved
the vision,” he recalled.
He continued to learn
more in school and began
selling the coffee from his
dorm. As the business began
to boom, in August
2019 he took a year off
from school.
Eventually, he opened
a coffee bean roasting
location in Long Island
City and an administrative
offi ce in Hunts Point.
Today, he lives in Allerton
and imports his raw
java beans from Columbia,
Haiti and the DR.
Looking back, he
counts his blessings and
he’s grateful for everything.
He credits his
mom with a lot of his success
and if she hadn’t sent
him to the DR who knows
where he would be today.
“When you come from
a disenfranchised community
it’s easy to fall
through the cracks,” he
said.
WHEN YOU SHOW UP?
You’re full of potential and eager to get ahead, but one thing’s missing—your
college degree. Whether you took a break after high school or you stopped out
of college with less than 45 credits, earning your Associate’s Degree now through
the NYU School of Professional Studies Division of Applied Undergraduate
Studies can change your life!
From the first day you step into our classrooms, you’ll benefit from a broadbased
liberal arts education and learn applicable work-related skills in a highly
supportive environment, while building your confidence and benefiting from a
wealth of university and career development resources.
New affordable tuition—comparable to that of your local community college—
makes a world-class NYU education attainable. Upon completing your Associate’s
Degree, you may choose to continue and earn your Bachelor’s Degree with us.
For information: visit sps.nyu.edu/appliedUG/associates04
or call 212-998-7100
*Bachelor’s degree programs available for those who have earned 45 transferable college credits or more.
CHOOSE FROM PROGRAMS IN:
Business, Health Administration, Information Systems Management, Liberal Arts
New York University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. ©2020 NYU School of Professional Studies.
Hector Castillo-Carvajal,
owner of Don Carvajal Cafe.
Photo Courtesy Esther Rodríguez
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