Posted by clairef on Monday, May 29, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

Italy may be home to pasta, fish and gelato, but my favorite restaurant in Cefalu is Coco Mango. Coco Mango is a juice bar that sells salads and paninis as well, and has a delicious collection of fresh fruits, vegetables, and friendly service. As I have spent a lot of time at Coco Mango, I decided to interview the shop owner, Doris.

Doris is a Swiss native, who met her husband at age 17, during a visit to Cefalu. Her husband grew up in Cefalu, and Doris moved to the city to spend her life with him. Since the tourist season only runs from March to October, Doris closes shop, and her and her husband leave Cefalu in the winter, returning to Switzerland for their holiday.

It was very interesting to talk to Doris, as she provided the perspective as an immigrant to Cefalu, who has been fully immersed in the local culture. When I asked Doris about the transition and process of adapting to life in Cefalu, she said that it was relatively easy, and that she loves living in Cefalu. She originally lived in the Historic Center in town, but found the loud noises of motorcycles and vendors unappealing, so moved slightly outside of the city. This happens in America as well, as people leave highly populated cities like New York and Boston for local suburbs, in search of peace and quiet. When I asked Doris about her own diet, she said that when in Cefalu, she eats like the locals – which means pasta everyday for lunch. However, when they go back to Switzerland in the winter, they only have pasta once or twice a week. It was very interesting to learn how local culture can have such a significant impact on actions. Even though Doris is an immigrant, she has fully embraced the cultural norms in Cefalu.

When Doris first came to Cefalu, she started working at Le Chat Noir, where she spent eight years in the food service industry. After gaining a lot of experience, Doris decided that it was time to take control and open her own shop. From our conversation, it was very apparent to me that Doris is an ambitious, motivated and hardworking women. This sense of female empowerment is inspiring, and something that we see more and more in the United States, especially at competitive schools like Vanderbilt. While I have a limited perspective, I have come across a limited number of stores in Sicily that seem to be run completely by females, setting Doris apart.

When pursuing her own venture, Doris chose to open a juice bar, as it fulfilled a need that was not already met in the city. Sicily has wonderful fresh fruit, and Doris wanted to make it more accessible to the tourists. She also commented on how all of the other sandwich and snack shops sell very similar items – prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomato. So, by opening a juice bar, Doris was able to introduce a new variety of healthy options to the town of Cefalu. While Doris has not had any formal business training, her thought process resembles that of many accomplished businessmen in the United States. She recognized the need for differentiation, and targeted her services specifically towards a certain market – tourists. This highlights how we spend so much time in the United States learning minute concepts in a classroom, versus the approach of brainstorming ideas, creating action plans, and drawing conclusions through experimenting and adapting, as Doris did.

Doris briefly addressed the process of opening the juice bar, and the difficulties that accompanied the journey. She mentioned that paperwork took a very long time to process, and that officials would often miscommunicate the forms that needed to be filled out; or be out of the office, either on holiday or just grabbing a coffee, which made it difficult to complete tasks in a timely manner. Fortunately, Doris’ mother-in-law still lives locally in Cefalu, and was able to provide guidance and help with establishing local connections. She drew a comparison to her home country, stating that in Switzerland the process would have been significantly smoother. That being said, Doris wasn’t overly upset by the inefficiency of the process when talking about it, and seemed to accept that it was just the way things worked in Cefalu. While I believe a similar situation would be extremely frustrating to me, I believe this speaks to how seamlessly Doris has integrated into the culture of Cefalu. Despite the challenges, Doris finally opened Coco Mango last June, and has been working hard since to reach profitability. She has almost broken even, and as indicated by several comments, is very fiscally minded and financially responsible in the way that she runs her store.

I asked Doris about the daily routine of running her shop, and learned a lot about her thought process and the small business industry in Cefalu. As I mentioned, Coco Mango is open from March to October, and relies primarily on tourists. Doris said that many locals do not have the discretionary income to eat out, so almost all of her customers are tourists. As one of the few healthier options in the city, Doris finds that her customers often appreciate finding her shop; and that she sees many repeat tourists, looking for a break from the heavier pastas and pizzas. These sentiments reconfirm everything we have learned about tourism in Cefalu, and its dictation over the local economy. Coco Mango is busiest between 12:00 – 3:00 PM, and 4:00 – 5:30 PM, lunchtime and happy hour, respectively. While Doris originally envisioned Coco Mango as primarily a juice bar, she finds that many of her customers come into the shop looking for a panini or salad, and purchase a juice as an afterthought. This sets Doris apart from the one other juice shop in Cefalu, which opened two months after Coco Mango, and only sells juice. Doris is grateful that she thought to sell other foods as well, as she couldn’t imagine making a profit if she didn’t. This has also influenced the way that she has developed the menu – paying specific attention to developing and refining the food options. In the summer, Doris sets up a stand outside her shop and sells sangria by the glass in the evening, as a way to extend her day and further increase revenue.

Doris’ future plans for Coco Mango include potentially purchasing a juice processor, or a granita machine. She says that employees currently squeeze all of the juices by hand, and that a processor would reduce the amount of time needed to make juices. She also says that many customers ask if she sells granitas, and that it would be a good way to further assimilate into the Sicilian culture. However, the machines cost 2,000 euros each, and Doris is not sure if she is ready to make that investment, as she is still working to break even. In the United States, advanced technology is almost a necessity, and many shop owners splurge for high-tech machines right at the start. I admire the way that Doris is carefully looking at her financials, and assessing the cost benefit of any major purchases. As someone who hopes to be an entrepreneur myself one day, I find Doris’ drive and dedication to Coco Mango inspirational.

At the end of the interview, I was able to draw a few key conclusions from our conversation. On the business side, I learned that opening a store in a foreign city can be especially difficult if you have no local contacts, and that in a small town like Cefalu, the process can be slow and inefficient. I also gained insight into the concept of targeting a tourist population, and how differentiation from the local culture can be a strategic move. From Doris I saw the power of a female entrepreneur, and the attention to detail that is necessary for opening a small business.

I am thankful for the opportunity to interview Doris and learn more about her and her small business journey, and look forward to visiting Coco Mango a few more times during my last week here in Cefalu!

Feel free to listen to the full interview here.