Can Colombian coffee compete in a city dominated by cafecito? Miami chain shows the way
Colombia native Fabio Caro has one request for every coffee drinker he speaks to at Macondo Coffee.
“Try it without sugar,” says Caro, the 70-year-old founder of the local coffee chain.
At Macondo, freshly roasted Colombian coffee is prepared to be smooth. That’s kept customers coming back since Caro opened his first coffee shop in Doral in 2015. In Miami, a place known for energizing Cuban cafecito, Macondo has made a strong argument for Colombian coffee. Now celebrating 10 years in business, the company has five locations across Miami-Dade and one in the Tampa Bay area.
Caro emigrated from Colombia to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1981 and shortly afterward met his wife, Amparo, a native of Medellin, Colombia. He started various businesses, including a commercial cleaning company and a restaurant, and also began buying real estate.
As Caro settled into life in a new country, one thing often bothered him. He was unhappy when people told him that the first thing that came to mind when they heard about Colombia was cocaine or the notorious drug trafficker Pablo Escobar.
“I said that Colombia should be known for something more than that,” Caro says. “Colombia is a well-known place for coffee. I said, let’s do something positive.”
By 2013, Caro’s cleaning company had grown to 100 employees, but the Northeastern winters had gotten more difficult for him and his wife. Moving to Miami was a positive change and a return to tropical weather. Visiting Panther Coffee’s Wynwood location showed Caro that a specialty coffee business could be viable.
In 2015, Caro opened Macondo Coffee, named for the town in the book “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez. He takes pride in educating customers about the different qualities of Colombian coffee.
“With Miami having Cuban coffee, they’re used to very strong coffee,” he said. “You have to put so much sugar in to drink it because it’s so strong.”
The process behind each cup of coffee is at the core of Macondo’s appeal. Coffee beans are imported from Colombia and roasted three times a week at the Doral location in an 8-foot-tall metal roaster. All of the coffee sold at Macondo’s six locations is roasted there.
One man knows the process well, and sometimes comes in on his days off just to ensure the coffee is properly roasted.
Didier Higuita, 33, is the chief barista at Macondo’s Doral location and takes immense pride in preparing coffee. He has participated in competitions for his work and can draw a seahorse on the top of a coffee cup using creamer.
“It’s not just coffee,” said Higuita, a native of Buriticá, Colombia, who comes from four generations of coffee growers. “It has to be a perfect cup. That’s all I know how to make.”
Specialty coffee is much more appreciated than it was when Caro first moved to Miami. But importing Colombian coffee beans could soon become more expensive if the Trump administration levies tariffs, as the president has threatened.
“It could directly affect the exports from Colombia and add more cost and speculation to an already very volatile market,” Caro said. “We hope this gets resolved in a collaborative and diplomatic manner between governments since an essential part of the economy of both countries depend on an effective importing and exporting of goods.”
In February, Macondo celebrated its 10th anniversary with an award from the city of Doral. Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras regularly visits the Doral location to order a mochaccino and croissant. She appreciates how people of different backgrounds come together there and the jobs the business has created.
“For us, it’s always great to highlight and elevate all of the communities we have,” said Porras. “It’s unique in that Miami is full of Cuban coffee places and this one special Colombian coffee place.”
Caro eventually wants to have 10 Macondo locations throughout Florida and is in the process of screening people who could potentially open a franchise. He is focused on working with people who value Macondo’s rich coffee and welcoming cafe experience.
“After the pandemic, businesses were closing offices and sending people to work in their house,” he said. “Sometimes, you’re in the house every day and get bored of being [there].”
On a recent weekday morning at Macondo, a woman sipped coffee as she tapped away at her laptop. In another corner, a woman and little girl shared a laugh. The shop’s rustic aesthetic — with burlap bags full of coffee perched on the walls and fixtures that look like they were carved out of a tree — lends itself to the environment in García Márquez’s book, and that’s exactly what Caro wanted. Through Macondo, he hopes to create a comfortable experience for visitors.
“Coffee is the second most important drink after water around the world,” he said. “It’s an experience to have a cup of coffee with friends and family.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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