To start a coffee shop in Venezuela, lock down permits fast and engineer operations for power cuts, dual-currency payments, and local roasting. Register your company at SAREN (Registro Mercantil), get your RIF from SENIAT, obtain the municipal Licencia de Actividades Económicas, the health/sanitary permit, and the Bomberos fire clearance; post prices “IVA incluido.” Choose a site with proven electricity and fiber—confirm generator schedules with the building and run a one‑week power/log test. Specify a 2‑group 220V machine, 8–10 kVA generator, line‑interactive UPS + AVR, and carbon + softening to keep water 70–120 ppm TDS. Source beans weekly from Andes/Lara/Portuguesa roasters; hold two weeks’ inventory, rotate FIFO, and dial in recipes in grams and seconds for guayoyo, negrito, and marrón. Take bolívares via POS, USD cash, and bank rails like Zelle; display USD with a Bs. reference at the daily BCV rate. Target unit economics: COGS 25–30%, rent under 12%, payroll 18–22%; break even near 140 drinks/day at $2.20 average ticket. Use Instagram, Google Maps, and Yummy/PedidosYa listings; push morning commuter bundles and afternoon cold options. Train one barista per 60 drinks/hour, add CCTV and cash‑out controls, and secure service contracts for machine and grinder, plus quarterly water tests and calibration.
