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AVONDALE — When the Acebedo family set out to open a coffee shop, they wanted it to be a reflection of their Colombian culture and a welcoming neighborhood spot where families could gather for coffee and treats.
Magnifico Coffee Roasters & Coffee Shop, which opened last month at 3063 N. Milwaukee Ave. after more than a year of planning, is the family’s vision come to life.
The sleek coffee shop serves Colombian roasts, along with Colombian pastries such as churros and pandebono con guava and bagged snacks the Acebedos ate growing up. Every detail of the cafe, from its owl logo to the gallery wall, is a nod to the tight-knit family and their roots.
“Anything we serve here, whether it’s drinks or food, is going to be our family’s favorite,” co-owner Angelica Acebedo said.
RELATED: Family-Owned Magnifico Coffee Bringing Colombian Roasts And Treats To Avondale
Credit: Mina Bloom/Block Club ChicagoMagnifico is run by Angelica Acebedo, a graphic designer, and her brother, Ricardo Acebedo-Diaz. Their sister, Marisol Acebedo Fisher, and Angelica Acebedo’s husband, Adam Frint, helped with the buildout and design.
Ricardo Acebedo-Diaz, a coffee lover and roaster who’s spent months meticulously sourcing coffee for the shop, is the main force behind the business, his sister and brother-in-law said. The rest of the family jumped into action to support him, combining their creative talents to bring the shop to life, they said.
Currently, Magnifico serves coffee from two women-owned Colombian farms roasted in-house by Ricardo Acebedo-Diaz.
Freshly roasted, specialty Colombian coffee will always be a focus of the Avondale coffee shop, but the owners plan to expand their offerings to include coffee from other parts of the world, like Nicaragua, as they settle in.
The family takes coffee sourcing seriously: It took Ricardo Acebedo-Diaz eight months to find the perfect decaf blend, his sister and brother-in-law said.
“We always say that as a team we’re going to lead with empathy, but with super high expectations, and I feel like that’s where you can see all of the little details. We’re really putting our hearts into this,” Angelica Acebedo said.
The coffee shop’s baked goods come from a Colombian bakery on Montrose Avenue and Aya Pastry.
Credit: Mina Bloom/Block Club ChicagoMagnifico Coffee was made possible by city funding. The Acebedo family was one of 26 recipients of the city’s community development grant, a program for entrepreneurs looking to open or upgrade businesses.
The Acebedo family received more than $220,000 in city funds to open the business.
“We’re so grateful for the grant because otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to make it as beautiful for the community,” Angelica Acebedo said. “We would have been at Home Depot — Ricky and Adam would’ve been hammering away.”
Credit: Mina Bloom/Block Club ChicagoWith the construction covered by the grant, the family was able to turn their attention to creating a gallery wall near the cafe’s seating area. The first artist to be showcased is the Acebedo family’s matriarch, their grandmother, Elvira Diaz Guzman.
Guzman loved to paint portraits of owls, which inspired the mural in the coffee shop and its logo.
The owners plan to rotate out the gallery wall with work from local artists, an “artist spotlight” they hope will be as much of a draw as the Colombian coffee and pastries.
“We want this to be a place that isn’t just a transaction, where you can come and enjoy the music or the art or the atmosphere,” Frint said.
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