RUSKIN, Fla. — A Ruskin coffee shop owner now has a brick-and-mortar location up and running thanks in part to a grant from Enterprising Latinas.

What You Need To Know

  • Louie Beans was one business in Ruskin that was impacted by Hurricane Helene

  • Owner Jennifer Mantilla says a grant from Enterprising Latinas helped her restore some of the items she lost

  • Mantilla opened a brand new brick-and-mortar location a week ago

It’s a dream come true for Jennifer Mantilla, the owner of Louie Beans, who has been operating a food truck since 2022.

She started her business in memory of her father, who passed away to cancer.

“We’re actually busier here than in the trailer,” she said. “I’m so happy. It’s exciting. It’s a little nerve-wracking.”

Customers inside Louie Beans coffee shop. (Spectrum News/Lizbeth Gutierrez)

When Spectrum News last spoke with Mantilla, she was devastated after losing nearly all her equipment for the business, and her trailer needed a full restoration.

Today it’s a much different feeling.

“You know, it makes me feel more at ease. I don’t have to worry about towing my trailer out in time or it flooding,” said Mantilla. “Yeah, of course there’s a chance of it flooding anywhere in Florida, but at least we’re on hire ground.”

She was one of 25 businesses who were awarded a hurricane grant from Enterprising Latinas.

The educational organization says those grants ranged from $500 to $2,500.

“They dreamed of that source of income for their family,” said loan manager Ludovina Moronta. “It stopped when the hurricane came but being this change that we can make in the community by providing access to capital, that’s amazing.”

That help was Mantilla’s driving force to keep her business going.

“My customers are amazing,” she said. “A lot of them are even coming from Apollo Beach, which, that’s a ride.”

Louie Beans is open Tuesdays through Saturdays at 1406 Blossom Bayou Circle in Ruskin.