Silvestra

How did this place come about and what made it different from the start? 
It all started here with an intuition and a deep desire to create something that felt good from the beginning. Silvestra is a coffee bar that was born from a different spark: it was born from bread, gluten-free bread made with nopal and other vegetables, in an authentic, honest and naturally delicious way. 

For years we supported a bakers' cooperative, doing so with care and conviction because we believe in projects born from the heart. One day they invited us to become partners and open a physical location. After thinking it over for a few days and imagining the positive impact this project could have on people, we accepted. Shortly after, the inevitable question arose: what about the coffee? Because we know that bread always needs company, and coffee always seeks a complement (or a loaf of bread). That's how it all began: first, good coffee, and then extraordinary coffee that we could trace from its origin, knowing who grew it and who roasted it, to understand the entire chain and honor it with transparency. 

We like to think of Silvestra as imbued with feminine energy, from its origin to the cup—the energy of care, creativity, quality craftsmanship, and what is born honestly and sustained with intention. We came for the bread, fell in love with the coffee, and are still here for everything this place continues to awaken. 

What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most? 
The moment we enjoy the most and look forward to is when we receive our batches of coffee and prepare them; we like to be surprised by the flavor profiles and aromas that each one has to offer. 

If someone is coming in for the first time, what should they not miss? 
Five years after the birth of Silvestra, we decided to create a space that reflected the essence of what we seek to convey, and we have taken great care to make the atmosphere convey warmth, tranquility, and beauty. The part we like the most, and that we believe people enjoy, is sitting in front of our shelf with the different coffee extraction methods that we decided to create with individual spaces to give each one the right prominence. 

What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project? 
Silvestra was born in 2020, a week before the pandemic in Puebla. Surviving during that time was difficult, and we reconsidered continuing more than a couple of times; however, there was always something that made us think the project was worthwhile and still had much to explore. 

What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today? 
Since Silvestra was born, we have been committed to offering coffee and bread made with dedication, technique and truth, products that feel real and honest with the producer, with us and with you. 

What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why? 
A few months ago, we received the news that Silvestra was selected as one of the 100 best coffee shops in Mexico by @TheBestCoffeeShopsMexico. For us, this was an incentive to continue doing things well, and we took it as a new inspiration to keep creating. 

If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together? 
We would invite customers to collaborate, so that they could learn firsthand what Silvestra is and does, the honest and passionate work that is done every day to always offer the best. 

Is there an object, corner or detail of the place that has a story that few people know?  
The bicycle! It's been with us for over ten years, and we brought it to "go around Cholula." Little by little, it became a landmark of Silvestra, whether because we're the only bar in Cholula with a retro bike parked outside or because our customers use it as a landmark: "the one with a bike outside" or "you'll see a bike at the entrance, that's the place." Sometimes they even tell us: "I thought we weren't open, but I saw the bike." 

If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why? 
If Silvestra were a city, we'd like to imagine it as Kyoto, Japan. Small, green, elegant without being pretentious, with meticulous details and a calm that isn't boring but profound. If it were an album, it would be Radiohead's "In Rainbows." Atmospheric, gentle, and full of character, it's an album that envelops you without being loud, and its release was different and ahead of its time. 

Answers by Edna Vázquez and Carlos Vázquez, siblings and founding partners of Silvestra.