Nolita roaster of Nicaraguan coffee, started inside a friend's clothing store.
César Vega, born in Nicaragua and raised in Miami, started the business at 23. Coffee shops turned him down, so he spent $10,000 on a roaster, and a friend offered him space inside her clothing store, American Two Shot. He spends months in Nicaragua with farming families, and in May 2026 sat on the international jury for the Cup of Excellence there.
The first standalone shop opened on Elizabeth Street in 2016. Eight white globe pendants hang on a brass rail over a counter faced in slate-gray tile with brass inlay lines, and the same globes show through the front window from the sidewalk. The counter runs across the back of a single shallow room, with a wood window counter and stools behind the front glass.
