From the fashion runways to the best mobile bar in the Coffee Region: This is how Coctel Pop was born

If you had told me ten years ago that I would end up leading the best mobile bar in Pereira and the Coffee Region, I would have laughed in your face. At that time, my life revolved around suitcases, international fashion fairs, and airports. That was my world, and honestly, I loved it.

But life has a way of redirecting you. My children arrived, and suddenly I had to make a decision no mother should ever have to make so abruptly: would I continue traveling the world of exports, or would I be there to watch them grow up? I chose to stay. And if you ask me now, it was the best decision I could have made, even though at the time I felt like I was leaving behind everything I had built.

Plan B that ended up being the right plan

I wasn't going to sit idly by, so I decided to buy an events franchise, Selfie Time. I started immersing myself in the local events scene in Pereira, Armenia, and Manizales—weddings, birthdays, corporate parties—and that's when the lightbulb went off.

In the Coffee Region, cocktails were served as if they were just another formality: they were placed on a table, waiting for the guests to arrive, and by the time someone approached to try them, they were already watered down, lukewarm, and frankly, awful. Nobody was giving them the importance they deserved.

And here's the key: in the fashion world I came from, cocktail bars weren't a luxury, they were a necessity . They were at every event, every launch, every important party. That was normal for me. But here, in my region, no one was offering a cocktail bar for weddings and events that truly delivered. I didn't see a problem there; I saw a business opportunity that no one had yet taken advantage of.

The awkward detail: I knew nothing about cocktails

I had a clear vision, but a huge gap in the plan: I didn't know how to make a cocktail, not even enough to save my life. So I did the only thing that made sense: I started building the brand and becoming a professional bartender at the same time . I didn't wait to be "ready" to begin. I learned while I built, and I built while I learned.

That path led me to become an IBA Elite Bartender , a certification that only six women in Colombia hold. Six. I say this without shame: it's one of the achievements I'm most proud of in my entire career, and it wasn't easy; I earned it through hard work, glass by glass, technique by technique.

The real battle wasn't learning cocktail making, it was changing mindsets

If you think the hardest part was mastering bartending techniques, you're wrong. The hardest part was something else: making the customer understand that a bartender isn't a waiter.

I had to educate people, one meeting at a time, about why cocktails for corporate events, weddings, and celebrations aren't an extra expense but a central element of any event that wants to make a lasting impression. I had to earn respect in an industry where no one really knew what to expect from us. And believe me, there were times when I doubted whether all the effort was worth it.

But persistence pays off. Today, Coctel Pop is the benchmark for the best mobile bar in Pereira and the Coffee Region, and I say that with the confidence of someone who earned it through hard work. So much so, that we've inspired other brands that were born by looking at what we've built, not only here in the region, but in other parts of Colombia.

Why am I telling you all this?

I'm not telling you this story just to brag. I'm telling it because I want you to understand something important: when you hire Coctel Pop, you're not just hiring a table with bottles and ice. You're hiring years of professional training, a vision born from seeing what no one else was seeing, and the stubbornness to refuse to accept that things "have always been done this way."

This blog will be the space where I share everything I know about cocktails, event trends, and how to create the perfect bar for your celebration. Because if there's one thing I've learned along the way, it's that the seemingly "minor" detail—that well-executed cocktail bar—is often what people remember most about your event.

Welcome to Coctel Pop. This is just the beginning.

Anita Osorio "The Boss"

Anita Osorio "La Jefa"