Sabor Mixto & More celebrates one year in business

Offering fresh fruit juices, smoothies, ice cream, salads, sandwiches, and California sushi rolls, Rainier's Sabor Mixto & More opened its doors in May of 2024. Created and operated by Cicilia (CiCi) Diaz and Laura Bautista, Sabor Mixto & More has been a "dream come true" for the two to have their own business after spending two decades each in the food service industry. Still, the first year hasn't come without challenges.

"It's been a struggle," said Diaz. "Sometimes, we get busy days, and others we don't. To survive, we've been doing a lot of events like the [Rainier] music festival last year, but it's getting a little busier. We still need to go to some of the events from last year as they are inviting us back. We are going back for some of them, but we just want to stay in the store to get more customers there instead."

To help expand reach and sales, the two started the DoorDash delivery program on Friday, May 16. "That's another convenient way for the customers who don't want to leave their house," Bautista said.

They have also expanded their menu in response to customer requests for additional food items. "Customers were asking for more food so we added tacos and burritos, and those are very popular, said Diaz. "We sell them, quesadillas and side dishes a lot. Laura came up with the snacks like toasty locos, a mix of tortilla chips and we put on cucumbers, Japanese peanuts, chamoy, and lime juice. It gives a good flavor but you also have a lot of protein."

Plans have been made to introduce a burrito bowl starting in May as well as continuing to sell homemade pinatas provided to them by a friend in Longview. Regular customers help the shop stay afloat and they're hopeful the DoorDash service will help. "We'll see how it goes but we're still here, still going," said Diaz. "We have energy to keep on working and that's what we're doing."

Sabor Mixto & More is located at 108 East B Street in Rainier, and is open monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info, call 503-556-1535 or visit sabormixtoandmore.square.site.