Bom Día’s Tropical Treats Add Flavor to Hip North Loop Neighborhood
The full flavor of the tropics has set up shop in Minneapolis’s North Loop neighborhood. Bom Día Treats offers an incredibly flavorful and healthful menu of smoothies, bowls and rich Colombian coffee amid the hustle and bustle of Minnesota’s hottest neighborhood.
Their specialty is their antioxidant-rich açaí bowls. Founders Dennise Mejía, from Colombia, and Mauricio Berti, who is Venezuelan, couldn’t find the fresh flavors of their homelands here in Minnesota. So they decided to start making them for friends and family. They soon knew they had a hit on their hands.
Although Bom Día´s North Loop location has only been open since late May, it is already taking on the feel of a neighborhood spot. “We’re so new that we’re still getting to know our customer base, but we already have many regulars,” Berti said.
It may be a neighborhood spot, but it has an international feel. The space is light and airy, and full of bursts of color that reminded me of the tropical rainforest. “We wanted to break away from the trend of bland, gray spaces,” said Berti. When I mentioned that his shop reminded me of the Costa Rican countryside, his eyes lit up: “That’s exactly the idea!”
I tried the Pura Vida smoothie in honor of Costa Rica’s national catchphrase. It included mango, pineapple, passionfruit, chia seeds and coconut powder. These simple ingredients came together in a menagerie of flavors that danced on my palate. It was refreshing, flavorful and filling. Pura vida, indeed.
Not only is Bom Día a great place for a delicious treat, it’s also a treat place to work. If the office is getting to you, a trip to Bom Día will help you to find the concentration to tackle the task at hand. Just don’t daydream too much, or you’ll think you’re in the tropics and forget about the capricious Minnesota weather that lies just outside the front door.
LEDC played a key role in helping Bom Día open their first standalone store. “LEDC was instrumental in supporting us with technical and financial assistance,” said Berti. “They really did steer us in the right direction with our business plan and access to capital,” he continued. LEDC, he said, “sees more than just a number looking for a loan. They see the person, the dream, the idea, the product and the trajectory in a friendly, open and accepting way. In the end, they helped make this dream a reality. Well, that and a lot of hard work,” Berti concluded.
If you go: Bom Día is in the historic McKesson Building at 251 North 1st Avenue in Minneapolis. It’s open 7am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, and 8 am to 6 pm on Saturdays. Bom Día is closed Sundays.
Follow: Check their Instagram and Facebook pages to check news and updates.
