This Beaverton family business puts coffee shop and taco restaurant under one roof

A split ordering counter inside Kasa Coffee and Tacos Fita allows customers to order morning espresso drinks and evening tacos from the same downtown Beaverton space.

For many engaged couples, operating a business with your parents and in-laws could be a nightmare. But for Sam Torres and Ximena Alcocer, it’s a dream.

“Who else would you want to work with, other than your loved ones?” Alcocer said.

Kasa Coffee and Tacos Fita are truly a family-run business. The coffee shop by day and Mexican restaurant by night recently opened a shared space in downtown Beaverton. Torres and Alcocer are the couple behind Kasa Coffee, which opened Jan. 13 alongside Torres’ parents’ restaurant, Tacos Fita.

Tacos and a chori-queso appetizer from Tacos Fita showcase homemade flour tortillas.

“It’s just Latin culture,” Torres said, explaining how over the past couple of weekends, his entire family jumped in to help when the coffee shop was packed — taking orders, making drinks, prepping meals, cleaning up and doing whatever needed to be done.

Inside the coffee shop, patrons are met with a split ordering counter for both businesses. Both Kasa Coffee and Tacos Fita open at 7:30 a.m., but they offer different experiences throughout the day. Kasa Coffee serves espresso-based drinks, specialty lattes, juices, smoothies and a breakfast menu featuring burritos, avocado toast, bagels and breakfast sandwiches with a Latin twist until 3 p.m.

Sam Torres and Ximena Alcocer, the couple behind Kasa Coffee, partnered with Torres family to create a shared coffee shop and restaurant space in downtown Beaverton.

After that, Tacos Fita takes full control of the space until 9 p.m. (or 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; closed Mondays), offering Mexican tacos, tortas, burritos, plates, and bowls. Many dishes feature homemade flour tortillas using a recipe passed down from owner Rafael Dueñas’ mother.

Dueñas is Torres’ stepfather. Torres’ mother, cousin and grandmother are also involved in both businesses. Dueñas has played a key role in helping Torres and Alcocer establish Kasa Coffee. The young couple lease the space during the day, paying rent and covering a portion of the utilities.

“When it comes to business, business is business,” Dueñas said. “And then family is right after that. They’ve seen the business side of me, and they’ve seen the dad side of me. They have a good way of managing that.”

Torres and Alcocer, who met in Florida while they were in college, had plans to open a coffee cart in Portland, working with farmers markets, events and catering. However, when Torres’ parents offered the opportunity to open inside Tacos Fita, Torres and Alcocer knew it was the right move.

A churro latte from Kasa Coffee, topped with cinnamon and cold foam.

“They were like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna do this. We know you want to start something, let’s do it all together,’” Torres said.

Since opening one month ago, both businesses have experienced a strong positive response from the Beaverton community, with some patrons coming to the store twice a day for their morning coffee, then again for dinner.

According to Dueñas, the businesses have nearly outgrown the new space. The shop is the first brick and mortar location for both businesses, although Tacos Fita has been open since 2023 and operates three food carts in Portland. The concept has been so successful that Dueñas is confident more collaborations between Kasa Coffee and Tacos Fita are likely in the future.

“I feel like any brick and mortar that I do in the future will be the same concept,” Dueñas said. “We reach everyone’s niche.”

Kasa Coffee has also established itself as a hub for the Latino community, hosting running events, book clubs and creating a space where Spanish speakers feel comfortable gathering and ordering in their first language.

“It makes us proud to serve our community,” Torres said. “We’re learning a bunch, getting better every day to serve them.”

If you go: Kasa Coffee is open 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. daily; @kasacoffee_ on Instagram. Tacos Fita is open 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; @tacosfita on Instagram. 4725 S.W. Lombard Ave., Beaverton.

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