Carefully curated and crafted by Café Corazón, culture is never left to chance. It drives everything from hiring to creating the ideal environment for coffee. It’s easy to see why Café Corazón won the 2026 Mr. K Small Business of the Year award from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. We had an opportunity to sit down with CEO Dulcinea Herrera to talk culture, coffee, and what continues to drive her — in and out of the cafe!
Episode Highlights
Culture, Art & Community
Culture is at the heart of Café Corazón’s success. Dulcinea explains how the company intentionally creates an environment that celebrates Latin and Indigenous heritage while fostering meaningful connections among customers, employees, artists and the broader Kansas City community.
Team Building & Growth
As Café Corazón expanded, maintaining company culture became a critical focus. Dulcinea discusses leadership, hiring, employee development, and the systems that help the organization continue growing while remaining true to its mission and values.
Business Lessons & Lightning Round
The episode concludes with practical advice for entrepreneurs, lessons learned through business ownership, thoughts on authenticity in leadership, and a fast-paced lightning round covering business growth, community impact and personal inspiration.