Getting to Know Kafé Ojalá: A Q&A Session

Provide some background on the business and the owners.

Kafe Ojala is more than just a coffee shop—it’s a reflection of culture, community, and passion. Founded by Alex Rodriguez, a proud Puerto Rican, and Richard Malary, a proud Haitian American, Kafe Ojala was born from a deep love for our roots and a commitment to creating something special for our community. We wanted to build a space where people could experience great specialty coffee in an environment that feels welcoming, inclusive, and connected to the local community. Our new location at 750 Cass St. continues that mission, providing not just a café, but a place where people can gather, share stories, and feel at home.

Q: What inspired you to start this venture?

A: A single cup of coffee changed my life over 3,000 days ago. That experience, combined with the influence of Trenton Coffee House and Roasters, set us on a path to redefine the coffee culture in Trenton. We wanted to create a space where coffee is more than just a drink—it’s a connection, a conversation, and a movement.

Q: How long have you been operating in the community?

A: Kafe Ojala has been serving coffee for over five years, and our new location continues that legacy. While the journey has had its twists and turns, our commitment to the community remains the same.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: We focus on quality, intentionality, and community. From carefully sourced beans to the way we engage with customers, every detail matters. Kafe Ojala isn’t just a place to grab coffee—it’s a space to gather, reflect, and build something bigger than ourselves.

Q: What are your most popular items?

A: Our Ojala Latte is by far our most popular item. Inspired by Haitian Cremas and Puerto Rican Coquito, it blends rich, spiced flavors with the smoothness of specialty coffee, offering a true Caribbean spice experience. While we don’t offer a traditional Pumpkin Spice Latte, our menu is full of bold and unique flavors that highlight our cultural influences.

Another standout is our Maduro Bread, a play on traditional banana bread but made with sweet plantains, giving it a richer, more caramelized flavor that pairs perfectly with our coffee. Our house espresso and pour-over coffee are also favorites among regulars.

Q: What’s your favorite part of running this business?

A: Building a space and working with family and friends. Creating a welcoming environment where people can gather, connect, and enjoy high-quality coffee is incredibly fulfilling. Being able to share this journey with family, friends, and our community makes it even more special.

Q: Can you share a memorable experience or story from your journey?

A: When we hosted our first open house at the new location, I had no idea what to expect. After a four-month hiatus, I wasn’t sure if people would still show up or if the momentum we had built would be lost. That morning, I stepped out for a quick milk run, and when I came back, the café was packed. It was a full house—friends, familiar faces, and new customers all coming together to celebrate our return. In that moment, I realized that Kafe Ojala wasn’t just a coffee shop; it was a community that had been waiting for us, just as much as we had been waiting to serve them again.

Q: What excites you most about partnering with Canna Remedies for this campaign?

A: We love the opportunity to collaborate with businesses that align with our values—thoughtfulness, quality, and community. This partnership is a chance to continue building connections and introducing more people to what Kafe Ojala stands for.

Getting to Know Soap Stash: A Q&A Session

Q: What inspired you to start this venture?

A: I created my business 12 years ago to help assist my daughters with their sensitive skin needs. It has morphed into so much more. 

Q: How long have you been operating in the community?

A: I have been in my current location for 2 months but I have owned this business for 12 years.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: What makes my business unique is Soap Stash Cosmetics’ dedication to using the most natural and best ingredients for the skin. Our products are made with the customer in mind. 

Q: What are your most popular items?

A: Our most popular products are Strawberry Musk After Shower Oil, White Palm Soy Coconut blend candle, Lavender and Vanilla Whipped Body Butter.

Q: What’s your favorite part of running this business?

A: The endless possibilities of what I can make. It’s creating a new product with great ingredients and having the customer return and talk about how this product helped their skin, the texture, the experience it created. I love that. 

Q: Can you share a memorable experience or story from your journey?

A: My most memorable experience is my very first vending experience. I walked into this vending opportunity never done this before not knowing what to expect and compared to the others my setup was below standard. I had to let my personality sign through and I was able to sell out my table within hours. I had to leave the event and go home to get more products. I will never forget that moment, it let me know I was on to something. 

Q: What excites you most about partnering with Canna Remedies for this campaign?

A: Expanding my business to another market I am extremely passionate about. I want to let people know they can use Soap Stash Cosmetics products in conjunction with Canna Remedies products to create the ultimate self care spa experience. Whether it’s a vape or edible, match it with a Strawberry Musk After Shower Oil or relaxing Slammin Brew Coffee Scrub and just relax, after a long day or week. Cannabis and Soap Stash Cosmetics make the perfect combination.

Getting to Know Out of Step: A Q&A Session

Q: Can you tell us the story behind your business?

A: The store came about as a pivot during the pandemic, as our large scale events, including the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market (previously TPRFM) were stalled and looked very different. Local vendors and artisans were shutting down operations, and we explored different ways to platform the vendors we’ve known and worked with for a decade.

Q: What inspired you to start this venture?

A: Online shopping has really reshaped the mindset of the consumer, and that feeling of finding the exact thing you are looking for and leaving with it in hand was a large part of opening our shop.

Q: How long have you been operating in the community?

A: The store just celebrated three years, but we have lived here all our lives and have both worked within the community for decades.

Q: What made you decide to open a business in Ewing?

A: The appeal was the market, as we have been coming to the Trenton Farmers Market since childhood, and the then market manager Chris Cirkus had done amazing things to transform the market into what we continue to hope it will be, a place for new generations of Mercer County residents to find and explore all the good things this area has to offer. Chris brought the opportunity to us to join the market and here we are.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: It is truly a representation of our personalities and what we love, and we let you know exactly what you are getting into from the moment you walk in. It is impossible to not be stimulated in our shop and people can spend an hour in it and still not see it all!

Q: What is your most popular item?

A: Our store, as one of our beloved vendors Brittany Paige stated, is an ode to NJ and more importantly Trenton, so mainly our apparel and smell goods like candles and soaps are very popular. But our snacks are our MOST popular items. We offer unusual snacks from around the world, as well as nostalgia and novelty snacks

Q: What’s your favorite part of running this business?

A: Our favorite part is getting to hear the excitement of our customers when they discover the shop or find items they didn’t know existed. We get to do that all while just being ourselves and sharing this space that we love with each person that walks in the door. The chuckles we hear in every corner of the shop never get old.

Q: Can you share a memorable experience or story from your journey?

A: It’s really just experiencing people as our customer recognizing a lot of what makes them happy in our shop and finding it a safe space.  Representation is extremely important to us and a lot of the other businesses we look up to. An aunt buying their niece or nephew a Protect Trans t-shirt, the excitement for finding a horror themed Valentine’s day card, or a book about Wash Day for a black family to have in their home, a pin with non-binary on it, or a magnet with Bad Bunny on it, that level of representation is the reason we do this. 

Q: What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your business?

A: We wish more people knew that we are here and open, and not a seasonal business, which seems to always be a challenge with the market.  Every January, we get 5-6 customers a day say that they wish they knew about us before they did their holiday shopping elsewhere.  

Q: What excites you most about partnering with Canna Remedies for this campaign?

A: We’re always excited to work with other small businesses in the area, and especially since we share a core customer and carry items that represent the cannabis community, which is so vast and diverse. Thank you for having us participate!

Getting to Know Ruben’s Pizza: A Q&A Session

Q: Can you tell us the story behind your business?

A: Ruben’s Pizza is a family-owned and operated business. We have both Guatemalan and Slovak backgrounds, and we’ve been living in the area for over 10 years.  

Q: How long have you been operating in the community?

A: Ruben’s Pizza was established in 2019, and since then, we have gained many loyal customers as well as new ones from all over the area. Having our pizza shop and meeting new people through delicious food is our way of serving and connecting with the community.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: Building our business from scratch wasn’t easy, but we’ve all put a piece of our hearts in it and it’s been six years of working hard every day to provide fresh, delicious, and affordable food to our customers.

Q: What are your most popular food items?

A: On our menu, you will find pizza, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and also tacos and quesadillas. Every Friday we offer traditional Slovak food, which makes us stand out in our line of business. We all bring a little bit of our culture and work experience into this place.

Q: What’s your favorite part of running this business?

A: Running our business means working together as a family and also gives us a chance to express our creativity and introduce ideas. 

Q: What excites you most about partnering with Canna Remedies for this campaign?

A: We at Ruben’s are excited to be partnering with Canna Remedies, and we hope to see many more customers love each of our products!