Unataza Coffee in Dayton is offering free Spanish classes for beginners, bringing the owner’s native language to the Northern Kentucky community.
After moving to the area in 2011 and searching for coffee that reminded her of home in Honduras, owner Alejandra Flores told LINK nky she was inspired to open Unataza.
Flores says she takes yearly trips to the South American country to visit the areas where their coffee is grown. Part of the inspiration for the classes came from her customer’s interest in her travels and the Spanish language used in Unataza’s menu.
Many of them mentioned that they had taken Spanish in high school but hadn’t practiced much since, “so we thought it was a good opportunity to market out our coffee shop as a place to learn Spanish with us.”
Flores says she was connected with Alfonso Barnes, an elementary school Spanish teacher in Cincinnati, who was happy to teach the courses. Since August of 2021, Barnes has been teaching the program which Flores says has been a big success, “seeing the comradery that has come from those classes is great.”
The class size averages around 12 to 15 people and Flores says the groups have become close, becoming friends outside of the classroom, even throwing a party for one of the members who is moving to Colombia.
They are currently only offering beginner classes, however they soon hope to bring back the advanced classes they used to offer. The classes start at 6 p.m. every Wednesday and are completely free with no registration required.
If you’re looking for some weekend relaxation, Unataza also hosts weekly yoga classes on Sundays from 8 to 9 a.m.
Unataza Coffee is located at 603 6th Ave., Dayton. Find more information at facebook.com/unataza.coffee.