Monday, Sep 15, 2025 • Brian Lopez : Contact

With its bright blue exterior, Frida Kahlo artwork and a menu rooted in Latino tradition, Casa Azul Coffee feels less like a café and more like a portal to Mexico City. Inside, the air is filled with the aroma of cinnamon, piloncillo and freshly brewed coffee.

Owner Joseph Landeros, a 2012 political science graduate from The University of Texas at Arlington, moves easily between chatting with customers and serving drinks, creating the kind of warmth that makes the space feel like home. Since opening in late 2021, that welcoming spirit remains at the heart of his vision—and to his decision to open Casa Azul in Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood, a hub for Hispanic heritage.

“The shop actually being a house speaks for itself,” Landeros said. “It’s easier to walk into a home than a commercial storefront. Inside, we wanted it to feel culturally inspiring, with a menu built around traditional Latino favorites like café de olla, a sweet, spiced Mexican coffee.”

Landeros, who left a career in politics to open Casa Azul, credits UT Arlington as a “catalyst” for preparing him to open his own business.

Originally from the Texas Panhandle, Landeros worked blue-collar jobs while finishing community college until age 25. Now with choices to make about his future, he chose to transfer to UTA, he said, because of the Dallas-Fort Worth region’s exploding population of people from all backgrounds. He graduated in 2012 at the age of 27.

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Landeros is part of UTA’s 280,000-member alumni network, a large portion of which lives and works in DFW, contributing to UTA’s $28.8 billion annual economic impact on Texas.

“There was something about UTA and how it allowed me to meet different people from different walks of life that catapulted me to where I am now,” Landeros said.

As a student, he tapped into UTA’s resources— including what is now called the UTA Career Development Center—and landed an internship with former state senator Wendy Davis, launching a career in politics.

After several years, Landeros wanted something different and his passion for coffee kept calling. Childhood memories of drinking an early morning cup with his dad at McDonald's or smelling his grandmother’s pot brewing when he’d wake up, became his inspiration for Casa Azul.

In 2019, he took another leap of faith and left his job in politics to begin his journey to open a café. His first step was an unconventional one, starting over as a barista at Starbucks. He credits his wife for supporting him through this period.

“My thought process was if this is the industry I want to get into, then I need to start from the ground up,” Landeros said.

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Daunting as it may have been, the gamble paid off. By November 2021, Casa Azul opened its doors in a neighborhood that had long gone without a coffee shop.

“If I have any advice for people in or not in college, it’s that it’s OK to make mistakes and to learn from failing,” Landeros said. “Don’t hesitate to ask questions or for help.”

November marks Casa Azul’s four-year anniversary. It’s become a hub for Latino culture, hosting events like “Corridos y Cafecito” and “Cultura” markets that bring together local businesses to showcase their unique cultural goods, crafts, foods and arts to the community.

“It’s a place that has a name that is easy for people to pronounce and understand, it’s something identifiable and relatable, and it’s a product that plays a very intricate role for the Latino community,” Landeros said.

About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)

Celebrating its 130^th anniversary in 2025, The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With a student body of over 41,000, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 280,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.