Caffeto Partners with The Outsiders & Co. to Open The Outpost

When she moved from her home country of Colombia to Charlotte about five years ago, Valentina Castellanos knew she would like to work in the restaurant industry, but hadn’t quite figured out how she would do that. 

It was around that same time that her family members in Colombia bought a coffee farm. As Valentina pursued a business administration degree from Central Piedmont Community College, it became clear to her that opening a coffee business would allow her to source coffee directly from her family farm, creating a long-distance, family-operated business. 

“My family comes from a coffee background … We saw the opportunity when we got the farm in Colombia five years ago,” she said. “So why not? Why not start to bring our coffee here and just give it a chance? I saw the perfect timing. I saved some money, and that’s how I did it here.” 

Castellanos celebrated the grand opening of her specialty Colombian coffee bar, Caffeto, on Dec. 14, launching in a lot next to Canvas Tattoo in NoDa. During her first months of business, Castellanos has seen plenty of love from neighbors but has missed her family dearly.

Now, she’ll close that distance a bit when her sister, Maria Fernanda Castellanos, arrives from Connecticut to run Caffeto’s first expansion, a partnership with The Outsiders and Co., a mom-and-daughter clothing brand based in Lake Norman. The two family-run companies will come together this summer to open The Outpost, a hybrid coffee and retail shop in Cornelius that will also serve as a community space. 

“My sister is going to be the one running that business over there,” Castellanos said. “I’m very excited. That’s going to make our family business keep as a family business.”  

The Outpost is born

Amy Jolly began to cook up plans for launching a clothing company with her young daughter Aubrey Welch in 2020. Jolly, who had raised Aubrey as a single mother until marrying the previous year, was pregnant and struggling with the idea of how the new arrival would affect her relationship with Aubrey. 

The two had grown up taking road trips together and exploring the world, so when COVID-19 shut down their plans for a two-week national park road trip together before the baby arrived, they were crushed. 

“We were devastated because we knew our family dynamic was changing and felt like our mother-daughter trips were ending,” Jolly said. “Outsiders and Co., an adventure-inspired outdoorsy brand, was our way of staying connected to nature and travel while feeling the restrictions the pandemic caused.” 

Having seen success online, The Outpost will be The Outsiders’ first brick-and-mortar location. The 3,000-square-foot space will be split into thirds between Caffeto, retail and a community space. 

Now a junior in high school, Welch has been busy sourcing merchandise to be featured alongside The Outsiders and Co. products inside the store while Jolly handles the business side of things. 

“The Outpost is about the opportunity to expand what we are capable of doing as a mother/daughter team,” Jolly said. “While I obviously want Outsiders and Co. to grow, I also think that this is a huge opportunity for a teenage girl to thrive in an environment she’s asking to create from scratch — so I’m giving her the reins here to push herself beyond our current brand.” 

Jolly herself is most looking forward to the community connections she will build by opening the space. She has had a rough time since the pandemic struck; she had open-heart surgery in 2021 then lost her father suddenly a few months later. In September 2024, she lost her mother after a three-year battle with ovarian cancer. 

Having previously worked for 10 years as an event organizer for UNC Charlotte, she felt like the spark that had once driven her social life had been extinguished. In December 2024, she happened to drive by a storefront for lease on Torrence Chapel Road. She parked there and just sat for some time. 

“I had that ‘Yes’ moment, when you feel like this is it,” Jolly recalled. “This is the space for that vision that’s been living in my head and what I need to do next in my life. 

“I had become very isolated here while recovering from surgeries and caring for my mom and had trouble meeting people and forming those connections I felt when I worked at UNC Charlotte,” she continued. “So I decided I wanted to create the place I felt like Cornelius needed.” 

Her next move was to find a coffee partner. 

Valentina Castellanos and Caffeto join the team 

Jolly had seen people sharing their experiences from the recently opened Caffeto bar in NoDa on Instagram. When she solicited suggestions on a local Facebook page, she continued to see recommendations for Castellanos. 

Jolly planned a visit to Caffeto and met with Castellanos. 

“I wanted someone who had the same vision as me for creating an energetic atmosphere as well as a family-friendly environment,” Jolly recalled. “We connected instantly.” 

During her regular walks into NoDa from her home near Cordelia Park, Castellanos had looked at the gravel lot next to Canvas Tattoo and wished she could beautify it in some way for years. In December, she beautified it with a business.

Transforming a small trailer into a coffee bar allowed her to cut down on the costs associated with running a storefront. She partnered with Canvas owner Jason Baker to work out a deal that could be beneficial to them both — not to mention the neighbors. 

“This was an empty space that looked ugly before,” Castellanos recalled. “I’m friends with Jason and I always walked by here and I was like, ‘This place is awesome. Let’s partner. I’ll bring you people. You bring me people. And let me turn this place into a cool spot.’”

Castellanos and her staff of four serve hot and cold coffee drinks, matcha, chai and lemonade. 

Partnering with La Panaderia in Matthews, her bakery menu includes croissants, Danish and a signature Colombian snack bread called pandebono. On weekends, she serves cachitos — Venezuelan soft bread stuffed with ham, bacon and cream cheese — made by Cachitos La Gaby in Pineville. 

As is the goal at The Outpost, Castellanos has been successful in creating a community space around the establishment, cultivating a certain atmosphere with strung-up lights, comfortable outdoor furniture and picnic tables complete with outlets and WiFi. 

Read more: Six New(ish) Coffee Shops Perfect for Remote Workers

On two Saturdays each month, the coffee bar hosts Caffeto Sessions, billed as “Beats, Vibes, Coffee & Arepas.” The event is exactly that, with Castellanos serving up arepas from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. as her friend DJ Roble curates a jamming playlist. 

Caffeto Sessions started as a monthly event in the winter but has since expanded to twice monthly with plans to move to weekly in the summer. 

“It’s great,” said Castellanos. “We are very excited because people love it and we love it too; it’s something different, a safe environment. It’s family-friendly, just coffee and different beverages with great music.”

Castellanos said that, while she may go help Maria with operations at The Outpost every once in a while, Caffeto’s new NoDa location isn’t going anywhere. Just because the trailer looks easy to move, doesn’t mean it’s moving any time soon. 

“I love it here,” she said. “I’ve been putting all my love here, and the neighborhood, the community, has been great and very supportive right back as well.”

That’s an energy that Charlotte native Jolly hopes translates well to northern Mecklenburg County. 

“I’m hoping The Outpost shakes things up a little bit,” Jolly said of the new venue. “It’s not your typical retail shop or coffee shop; it has some spice to it. It’s full of energy and feels like home. A place you want to meet a friend or bring your family. That is the vibe we are bringing. I love my community here but I think it’s time for something a little different and I really hope we can deliver that.”   

The Outpost will be located at 20910 Torrence Chapel Road in Shops on the Green in Cornelius. Follow The Outsiders and Co. on Instagram for updates on The Outpost’s upcoming opening and new partners to be announced soon. 

Caffeto is located at 3012 N Davidson St. and open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Follow them on Instagram.