Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Flores.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Veronica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in a tiny town in Chihuahua, Mexico. I arrived in the United States when I was three years old and have lived in Arizona ever since. Growing up, my mother always made sure I remained close ties to my home country and it started with ensuring I learned our native language proficiently. I arrived as a toddler so by default, she knew I would learn English in school. I was what we now know as a “dreamer” up until age 15 when we finally were able to adjust our immigration status. When I was about fourteen years old, I came to realize my situation since my teachers had begun asking me about a college being that I was the top 1% of my class. I then realized two things. The first one, my parents definitely had no college fund ready to spend on my tuition or even considered the thought of sending me to college. Dad worked as a landscaper and my mother ran at home daycare. Secondly, I didn’t have the right status to qualify for in state tuition or even financial aid.
At a young age, teachers, friends, and family were able to see my drive. I was the girl that wasn’t afraid to ask questions and naturally, being a first generation student, I was used to navigating through the system serving as an interpreter for my family. I was exposed to so many different things that kids my age had no idea about. I became their financial planner, their pharmacist, their counselor. I matured at an early age and trained myself to see beyond my current situation. I learned to be a control freak and a planner. My mother always told me that the sky was the limit and I learned to see any challenge as a minor roadblock. I had to overcome any adversity because we had no choice but to keep going.
After legalizing, I navigated through the financial aid process myself since my parents didn’t understand what college was or spoke English. They trusted my judgement and provided me with all the information I needed to make the process smoother. Due to my academic excellence, I earned a full ride scholarship to Arizona State University. I always understood that I wanted to land a good job that would allow me to lead and influence anybody that I interacted with. I was able to successfully get my Bachelor’s and in the process had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain. After graduation, I landed a management job for Bank of America. Later on, I ended up at Edward Jones where I am now a Team Leader.
After graduation, I got married and became a mother to a beautiful baby girl Sofia. Sofia was born with Down Syndrome and a heart defect that required open heart surgery at five months. She has shown me that anything is possible and that I have to stop to smell the roses to appreciate everything that life throws my way. She’s my biggest motivation and pushes me to be the best version of myself. My dream is that as she gets older, she can help me operate and run Azuquita. I want to be able to provide jobs to any adults with disabilities.
I was always career oriented but knew that deep down, I still wanted to build my legacy and open up a business. One afternoon, I was sitting in my living room with my nephew Edgar Flores. We started talking through an idea we had since we were small to open up a dessert shop. I began to draft our thoughts and our vision until after a few hours in, I decide to hire a graphic designer to draft some logos for us. I wanted to get my hands on what I had imagined for so long. I got a response hours later and selected the logo I wanted to use. I submitted small modifications and I ordered stickers to visually see it in person. I LOVED IT! Azuquita… That was the perfect name for the idea that had been floating around for so long. I wanted it to be in Spanish and the concept was a fuse of my Mexican childhood flavors and I incorporated an American blend that could appeal to a wider audience. We have items like an Abuelita Iced Mocha, a Mango smoothie called a Mangoneada. We were very known for brining the Concha Ice Cream Sandwich to Phoenix. Mexican sweet bread with two scoops of ice cream. The idea was for clients to come into the shop and taste our childhood memories. Feel the nostalgia!
Three days later, I register the LLC and the tradename since I knew that everything had aligned for me to proceed. A week later, I was looking for spaces and came across a Mexican restaurant in Mesa, Arizona. I knew that we had a tight budget so I had to be strategic with our investment if we wanted to make this work. I scheduled time with the restaurant owner and proposed she lease us a corner of her restaurant where we could build a small kiosk. I presented the win-win situation and mentioned how we could benefit from her current clients but we could also help her build a presence on social media since our concept was very social media worthy. It seemed like a reasonable business move for both parties. She accepted and we began building and constructing our space. This is a week and a half in. I moved extremely fast. Need I mention that I was still working full time at the investment firm. This was happening after my day job and on weekends. Edgar and I began building with the help of our friends and family. We had about 200 square feet to work with. We had to get creative and build out a space that still was visually appealing and that could be identified as different businesses and not an extension to the restaurant.
A month and a half later, we inaugurate the business! I was able to contact food bloggers and had them come try our stuff in exchange, they helped us spread the word. We instantly started to build a solid social media following. As the business grew, we realized that we needed our own space and needed more square footage. We then decided that we also needed to be in a more centralized location so we decided to move and close down the kiosk to focus solely on re-opening a standalone location in Phoenix. We plan on re-opening by mid March!
I’m the living proof that I can be successful in corporate America but still run after your dreams without sacrificing valuable time with your family. It’s about keeping our traditions close and making that American dream a reality!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest obstacles have come in layers. Originally, my status was the only deterrent when it came to my education. Understanding that even though I had been here all my life, I still wasn’t technically allowed to pursue my dream of attending college.
When Sofia was born with the Down Syndrome diagnosis, it felt like my life had drastically changed to tend to her needs. At one point, because of the lack of information and education on the subject, I thought that my career and dreams would end there. Little did I know that she had just become my biggest fire.
Finding the right balance between my corporate career and entrepreneurship has been difficult. Time management has been the key to success in both worlds. Edgar has been a crucial piece when it comes to making Azuquita dreams a reality. My nephew always says that I’m the brain and he’s the muscle. I’m blessed to have such a supporting family.
Fear is always a challenge for anybody that decides to open up a business. I have been able to act on what I consider the right move and the right timing. I follow my heart and work hard to make my dreams a reality. Overcoming the different layers of being young, Latina, being a woman and a mother.
Please tell us about your business.
Azuquita is known for modernizing Mexican childhood flavors into products that anybody from any walk of life can enjoy. We use things like cajeta (goat milk caramel), chocolate Abuelita, Mazapan, Conchas (Mexican sweet bread), and the known chamoy, tajin, and mango combo. Customer favorites include the Abuelita Iced Mocha, Mazapan Frappe, our Concha Ice Cream Sandwich, our Ganisto Sundae and our Mangoneada.
I like to call our shop a dessert shop for that reason. Our specialty ranges from drinks to different dessert options. We are well known for introducing the Concha Ice Cream Sandwich to Arizona. It’s important to always use the best ingredients and partner with the best providers in Arizona. Supporting local panaderias and ensuring that our ingredients are top quality. Our cajeta is imported directly from Mexico and our recipes were created with all our love. We use fresh fruit and ensure our drinks and treats are rich and authentic.
As a company, I’m proud to say that we draw from our childhood memories and have focused on keeping it authentic! Our customer service comes from the heart because we believe that our stuff is the best!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory is always back in my tiny town of San Juan in Mexico. I remember every summer, as soon as the bell rang I would run home to hop in a car, drive 12 hours to my town in Chihuahua and spend my entire summers there. I was able to reconnect with my home country in a way that was so special to me. In our town, we had no computers, no paved roads, no phones, no TV. We played with our friends in the dirt and rode horses. We had the opportunity to connect to people in a unique way that I don’t see anymore.
Edgar and I would dream about creating a band and rode in the back of a pickup truck drafting our ideas on paper. One summer, we opened up a small business (only for the summer we were there). We were probably 9 and 11 years old. I was the oldest. We paid our uncle to take us to the city to buy the ingredients to make homemade popsicles. We called them “Chocoplataneadas” and even made a sign to hang outside our door.
We knew since we were young that we were so driven that we would make it happen, even if that meant investing all of our summer allowances. It was a beautiful summer! Here I am now…
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram is @theazuquita
- Facebook: Facebook is @theazuquita
- Yelp: Azuquita
Image Credit:
@eatinarizona, @freakyfork, Sharom Rosas Photography, Robin Kay Photography (One Shot At A Time Photography), Justin Wade Orton
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