Tintico: A Family-Owned Bridge Between Two Communities

By Sofie Gelder

June 2, 2026

In Colombia, a tintico is a small cup of filtered coffee traditionally enjoyed throughout the day. The name comes from the tint of the beverage after water is filtered through coffee grounds.

It’s a clear December day in Quebec City. The morning sun reflects off the thick ice coating the sidewalks and streams into one of the few cafés in Saint-Sauveur. The vinyl lettering on the front window casts the shadow of the word Tintico across art-filled walls. A warm drink rests on the counter in a delicately painted mug, sending soft curls of steam into the air.

“Un chocolat chaud colombien à emporter,” calls one of the baristas.

Since 2021, Tintico has been more than a neighbourhood café to its surrounding community. Co-founder Valentina Marin, her sister Lauren Marin and mother Bibiana Valdes knew from the start that they wanted their family business to put local needs first, which would sequentially act as a fundamental pillar of sustaining their business. They also knew that sustainability meant knowing where their products were coming from and how they were sourced, like dairy products, eggs and coffee beans—and the people behind them.

Bolstered by a unique intersection of Quebec and Colombian cultures, the family designed and curated everything the space has to offer—including the traditional food handmade by Valdes.

It was the response from those around them that reaffirmed their decision to bring Tintico to their neighbourhood.

“For my mom, my sister, and me, one of the most meaningful things has been seeing people come in first thing in the morning asking for pandebono—something so traditional and familiar to us—as part of their breakfast,” said Valentina.

Tintico prioritizes ethical partnerships, with the majority of their coffee coming from women growers in Colombia. The Marin family has built a trusting relationship with these growers, even before moving to Canada.

Tintico's interior reflects the café's blend of Colombian and Québécois culture, with local artwork, handmade goods and community gathering spaces curated by the Marin family. (Courtesy of Tintico)

Because they work with small-scale farms, coffee availability is seasonal and limited. Their customers understand this, valuing not only the quality of the coffee but also the farming practices behind it. (Courtesy of Tintico)

The Marin family was displaced by the 60-year civil war in Colombia and arrived in Quebec as refugees. They chose to settle into the quiet residential streets of St Sauveur—a working-class neighbourhood in Lower Town.

In 2020, immense state-sanctioned violence against civilians erupted in Colombia following the national strike to oppose a tax reform. The family took part in weekly protests organized by the Colombian community.

It was during these weekly protests that the family saw a unique opportunity, not only to stand alongside their community and commemorate the lives of those harmed by state-sanctioned violence, but also to uplift the people who are actively reforming a historically unjust agricultural sector. They sold coffee grown by Colombian women online—each bag had the name of someone who had died due to violence printed on the side.

Christina Escobar is a sixth-generation coffee grower and was the first grower to collaborate with Tintico. On top of owning and managing her farm, Escobar also raises her child. She roasts her own beans, a practice that Valentina describes as vital because it allows producers to retain the knowledge and value of transforming their own crops rather than just exporting raw coffee.

Valentina Marin, wearing a scarf embroidered with their café's logo, is pictured with her mother, Bibiana Valdes. (Courtesy of Tintico)

Valentina Marin roasts their beans at a roastery in Montreal. To prepare for this, she travelled to Colombia to complete a roasting course under Christina Escobar's guidance. (Courtesy of Tintico)

Colombia’s coffee production is inextricably linked to the country’s identity, but it’s also at the heart of its struggle.

According to the UN impact story “Growing rural women’s land ownership across Colombia’s countryside,” unequal land distribution, insecure land tenure, and land-grabbing were central to Colombia’s 57-year armed conflict, which displaced more than 6 million people—58% of them women.

The coffee that Tintico purchases originates from the small, yet increasing number of women growers. It’s a deliberate effort by the business to support land ownership, community resilience, and social change in Colombia.

However, uplifting both the women and familys grower as well as the local community meant adapting to their needs and creating a bridge between them.

“I really feel Canadian, but I am really Colombian, and that was what we wanted to show here.”

Valentina understands how financially precarious it is for coffee growers, especially for smaller, family farms. That’s why she lets the growers set the price, instead of negotiating one.

“We don’t ask for samples,” says Marin. “When you’re in a small village like Concordia, you have to take a bus to the nearest city just to send 40 grams of coffee. You don’t know people’s financial situations, and getting coffee out of Colombia isn’t easy. So for us, it’s always about trust.”

Valentina was at university when a corner property in the neighbourhood went up for sale. The opportunity presented itself to turn what they were passionate about—the beauty of their Colombian culture, ethically-sourced coffee and local community—into a physical reality that could be shared with residents.

“To keep it sustainable for us and for the customers, we had to make sure that we do everything as much as we can by ourselves,” said Valentina. “The community stepped in and offered free plumbing and electrical services.”

After navigating strict urban laws, pooling all the resources they had to avoid bank loans and running the café without employees for the first two years, their vision was falling into place. A space where local St Saveur residents can enjoy traditional Colombian cuisine, find basic, nutritious foods and refill options and be part of a mutually beneficial space that uplifts marginalized communities overseas.

“We already knew how hard it was to get milk and eggs, to get all that kind of stuff,” said Valentina. “So for us, it was like okay, how can we create something that helps people to have that close to themselves, but also not too expensive?”

Upon entry, Tintico resembles a small-scale grocery or general store. Tall shelves line the right wall, containing all of their market products, which are sourced from within Quebec or the neighbourhood itself. Even when the market price increases, their prices remain the same, protecting the community’s access to basic needs.

Customers can stock up on eggs, yogurt and dairy products with the option to refill. (Sofie Gelder/The Undercurrent)

Crates of milk bottle returns sit in red crates below a container of organic panela (cane sugar). (Sofie Gelder/The Undercurrent)

Shelves along the right wall of the café display handmade pieces by local artists, along with the café’s signature dishware—mugs, plates, and bowls decorated with delicate floral designs—all available for purchase. (Kayla Solway/The Undercurrent)

“We want our space to be open and accessible for people who live in crowded homes, or are going through something difficult,” said Valentina. “Someone might order one agua panella and stay for hours because they need a break, while someone else might purchase 4 bags of coffee, so it is always even out.”

The posters on the front door advertising upcoming community events—mutual aid markets, local musician jams and artist pop-ups—as well as the shelf of books available for customers to browse, are all in place to foster acceptance and togetherness, a feeling that Valentina says is rare to find these days.

For the Marin family, meeting the needs of the communities they belong to isn't about numbers; it's about circularity and creating a purpose-driven space where connection and cultural empathy grow.

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