Navy veteran celebrates heritage with coffee shop
Downtown Norfolk business promotes Puerto Rican culture
NORFOLK — Miguel Diaz, a native of Puerto Rico, opened Rich Port Coffee downtown to honor and promote his heritage and Latin American coffee and culture.
“I decided that I wanted to do something different — to create a legacy not only for myself, but my kids,” Diaz said.
The Navy veteran came to Hampton Roads because of the military 20 years ago. In 2021, he started taking wholesale and online orders for coffee he roasted at Selden Market, a small business incubator downtown.
Two years later, Diaz and wife Mia opened Rich Port’s first storefront on May1 — just steps from Selden Market at 150 W. Main St. inside the Truist Building.
The business’s expansion illustrates how Selden Market can help strength downtown Norfolk’s retail landscape, director Careyann Weinberg said.
The market chose Rich Port Coffee for its hands-on approach, she said, noting Diaz was going beyond social media by knocking on doors and handing out samples.
The business’s name is a direct English translation of “Puerto Rico coffee,” and the logo is a combination of a French press and the Castillo San Felipe del Morro fort in San Juan, both subtle nods to Diaz’s roots.
“It was amazing because it was actually bringing a little piece of my heritage back here,” he said.
Once known for the “coffee of popes and kings,” Puerto Rican coffee is strengthened by the soil and elevation, Diaz said. Rich Port now serves coffee from nine countries, including Colombia, El Salvador and Ethiopia. The products show the date the coffee was roasted.
Rich Port also teams with regional businesses to sell different pastries and snacks.
When working in business banking for 11 years, Diaz said he noticed how much businesses learned by partnering with others. Another key for small businesses is not being afraid of larger competitors. He said he offers a “totally different product” from Starbucks.
Diaz said he’s seen an increase in sales ever since Rich Port opened the storefront, especially from office workers and people boarding cruise ships docked downtown.
Rich Port roasts coffee for about 25 businesses and organizations, including the city of Norfolk, the USS Wisconsin, the MacArthur Memorial museum and different region coffee shops. Diaz also roasts coffee for companies in Florida and Tennessee.
Diaz is proud the coffee labels say, “roasted in Norfolk.”
“So it’s putting a spotlight on us, in a way,” Diaz said.