Kimberly Marcaccini is just like many other young professionals. She’s a graduate from SMU, she’s traveled to a few different countries. She’s interested in human rights and social justice, and even speaks a little bit of Chinese. She also owns Plano’s Coffee del Rey, a coffee roastery on par with the best in DFW.
Okay, so maybe owning one’s own coffee shop and roasting beans in-house from brands around the world focused on fair trade and global equality isn’t exactly normal for a 20-something. But for Kimberly, it is.
Started almost six years ago, Coffee del Rey was previously under a different management staff. Founded by Larry McPherson, a retired engineer, it was never meant to rival the foundation of Starbucks, or serve more than one billion customers. It was a passion project of sorts for Larry, keeping his mind off retirement. Coffee del Rey was not intended to line the owner’s pockets, as all profits went to a variety of charities from the moment it started. The concept worked well, and Kimberly took notice of the business.
“I knew I wanted to work with coffee,” Kimberly said. “I literally walked up into there, and asked [Larry] ‘Are you hiring?’ to which he stated, ‘No.’ So I said ‘Okay, fine, I’ll work for free.’”
Coffee del Rey offers customers a limited menu of espresso, French press, Chemex, v60 and Aeropress drinks. Rather than focus on a huge variety of drink styles, she puts her efforts into expertly roasting and then selling coffee beans to individual customers as well as other larger companies around DFW.
Kimberly’s passion for coffee comes from her heritage and education. “My parents are both Brazilian, and in Brazilian culture you’re always drinking coffee. It’s a cultural thing. I’ve been drinking coffee since I was about eight years old.” Imbibing an exorbitant amount of coffee over the years never seemed to stunt her passion for the brewed goodness. “It was during university when I learned all the minor aspects of coffee, fair trade and things like that, and I went, ‘There’s gotta be some way I can use this to help people.’”
After proving herself to Larry, and soaking in as much information as possible during her mentorship, Larry handed over the keys in January. “He still comes in almost everyday,” Kimberly confirmed, “but when people ask to speak to the owner, he says, ‘You gotta talk with the boss over there,’” and points toward Kimberly.
While she now runs Coffee del Rey as her main livelihood, it doesn’t mean she’s stopped giving with her cups of brew. A percentage of every sale goes to one of a variety of different charities. “We just want to use our platform to support people around us – local and around the world,” Kimberly said. Locally, proceeds go to North Texas Food Bank, helping provide meals for children during the summer when reduced cost school lunches are absent. On a bigger scale, many of the proceeds go to supporting farms in the Dominican Republic and infrastructure projects in Ethiopia.
Despite being a young female in a field that is typically dominated by men (on average women own around 15 percent of land, traded produce and companies related to coffee, according to International Trade Forum magazine), Kimberly doesn’t let it faze her. With the interconnectivity of roasting companies in Dallas and around the nation, she finds all the help she needs through a supportive community. While Coffee del Rey has only been in her hands for about six months, the surrounding area has taken notice.
“We don’t advertise,” she said, a smile spreading across her face. “People just come in and say, ‘Hey, I heard about your coffee from so and so!’ and that just fills my heart with the warm fuzzies!”
Got an urge for a cup of coffee that leaves you not only feeling energized, but warm and fuzzy for the future of society? Try Coffee del Rey. With its years of philanthropy and dedication to a simple bean, it’s easy to find something to enjoy.
