Meet Christian Ortiz | Co-founder of Kickoff Coffee Co, and Community Organizer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christian Ortiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christian, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Being Colombian-American, we grew up around the game of soccer. Playing soccer provided us with countless priceless memories, and lifelong friendships growing up. Furthermore, the game aligned us with numerous unique life lessons and skills that would later prove helpful. Melissa, one of our co-founders actually became an Olympian having qualified to two Olympic games (London 2012 and Rio 2016) playing soccer for the Colombian Women’s National Team. The sport continues to provide us with happiness whether it’s connecting with friends for a pick-up soccer match or enjoying watching a professional match on tv. This past summer during the pandemic, we were thinking of ways to give back to the game, while helping bring people together in community. So, coffee! Very few things bring people together around a table as coffee does, and to be honest, I had always wanted to get involved in the coffee world, And so we launched Kickoff Coffee Co, a soccer-inspired coffee company in which its ultimate goal is to celebrate the beautiful game through top-quality artisan-roasted coffee while giving back by donating 10% of our proceeds to organizations that use soccer to implement youth programs in underserved communities.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Well, I’m a former collegiate soccer player, youth soccer coach, community organizer, and human rights activist. I was born in West Palm Beach, Florida to Colombian parents who immigrated to New York City from Bogotá and Cali, Colombia. I’ve been a lifelong advocate of the game through soccer for social development, and not to mention an avid supporter of my most beloved soccer clubs: Independiente Santa Fe, Atlético de Madrid, and Newcastle United. In college, I studied International Relations because I always had a passion for world cultures and international affairs. I wanted to somehow help build peace in a world we, unfortunately, became accustomed to being in a constant state of war. I commonly pushed my professors to include soccer as a topic in my classes and through my college essays. After a few years of working in the international relations and non-profit sectors, I was invited to work with some of the biggest labor unions in the United States organizing with working-class communities. I would say it was in college and through my community organizing efforts that I developed a deep love for coffee. Working as a community and labor organizer, many times we work extensive hours throughout the week, weekends, and even during some holidays. Nothing brought me more peace of mind than those moments I would be able to enjoy a coffee break, or catch some soccer on tv during a lunch break. I went through some very stressful times at work, but I would always find myself most happiest during those brief coffee moments, or those days I didn’t have to work late at night and I would be able to play soccer. I would say that I’ve learned over the years that it’s the small things in life, the small details that can contribute the most to our personal happiness. I really recommend paying attention to what those small things are in life, no matter how much or how busy things can get at times. My life mission is to continue giving back to underprivileged communities, one football match and one cup of coffee at a time. If I wanted the world to know us for one thing it would be that the squad at Kickoff Coffee firmly believes that building a better world for all requires a team effort. That’s why our ultimate goal is to celebrate soccer through top quality, artisan roasted coffee while giving back through each bag. We’re excited that we’ve partnered with some truly inspiring allied organizations that implement soccer for social development programs in underserved communities both here in the United States as well as in underserved communities around the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Now that’s a hard question!! There are so many great things to do here in only one week of time. I would definitely reserve some of the weekend evenings and try to take them to see an Inter Miami CF at the amazing new stadium, or Miami FC out at the FIU Stadium. It is always a really fun time having a full Irish breakfast and a few pints of Guinness at the Auld Dubliner Pub in Downtown Miami, the best place in town to catch the English Premier League and all the other amazing European soccer matches live on tv. I would make sure they don’t miss out on a beach day out in Miami Beach, North Beach that is! The beaches are nice, and it isn’t as busy as South Beach. After the beach, take a walk down Lincoln Rd, and Espanola Way. There are some cool shops and restaurants there to explore. This is Miami, and so you can’t come to Miami without dancing to Latin music. My favorite spots for a night out of dancing are in Little Havana, but Boteco Miami is also so much fun. Coffee anyone? There are some great coffee shops throughout Miami, I would say my favorites are Macondo Coffee Roasters, Calusa Coffee Roasters (Broward County), and Pumphouse Coffee (Palm Beach County). But I would also recommend visiting kickoffcoffeeco.com if you want some amazing coffee conveniently shipped fresh right to your doorstep! 😉

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to make a shout-out to my two co-founders Rasha Qumsiyeh, and Melissa Ortiz. Without them, this project might not have been possible without them. Both Rasha and Melissa have given this project a whole another element of quality. Melissa from her experience of having played soccer as a professional athlete. And Rasha as a successful immigration attorney whose passion to help displaced and refugee communities helped mold our company’s social and communitarian mission and values.

Website: www.kickoffcoffeeco.com

Instagram: @kickoffcoffeeco

Twitter: @kickoffcoffeeco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KickoffCoffeeCo