Carlos Ortega enjoying ‘self-form of recycling’ in Vallejo
Two years after quitting his job at Recology in San Francisco, Vallejo native Carlos Ortega realized more than ever that one man’s trash was another man’s treasure. His treasure would become Sunshine Smoothies & Coffee.
To celebrate his 11th anniversary of the business, Ortega has pledged to give out 3,000 free smoothies on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A DJ will be on hand for the festivities at 2089 Solano Ave.
Ortega says on average he’ll sell 300 smoothies a day, but an April kickoff event had the business pulling off 1,500 for the day.
“A lot of people have told me that I’m crazy and that it’s not a good business decision trying to give out 3,000 smoothies,” Ortega told the Times-Herald on Thursday. “But this is not about money. This is about me being grateful to the community. I want to show them love because they helped build me to what I am now.”
Getting the business to run well in Vallejo was no easy task. When he moved to the United States from his home in El Salvador, Ortega spoke little to no English. He found work as a material handler and also worked weekends for Rojas Family Farms on a ranch in Fresno on the weekends.
Working at the farm, he found his calling.
Learning from the business, Ortega noticed the tremendous amount of waste.
“A peach gets a bruise, and no one wants it,” he told the Times-Herald in 2016.
“A lot of times they would throw fruit away, because they just couldn’t sell it anymore,” Ortega said on Thursday. “I’d ask, ‘Hey, why are we throwing this away, boss? This is still good.’ They would tell me why, whether it was an expiration date or some other reason like a banana turning a different color nobody wanted to buy. So I asked if I could start recycling that fruit.
“Out of that, Sunshine Smoothies & Coffee was born. It’s all about a self-form of recycling.”
The first location for Ortega’s business was at a smaller shop on 821 Wilson Ave. Although he was doing what he wanted in life, it was a hard path. He slept on an inflatable mattress and often in his car. His shop had running water and a toilet, but no shower.
“I got a membership at Planet Fitness, mostly just so I could take a shower there,” Ortega said.
A Times-Herald story in 2016 gave Ortega’s business a little more life, but times were still difficult. Ortega would often ponder his role in life.
“I would look out toward a bridge near Highway 37 that would eventually be featured in our logo,” Ortega said. “I told God, ‘This is not always going to be like this. This is not forever.’ I asked him one day if I could shine.
“I didn’t give up,” Ortega said, fighting off tears. “I didn’t give up, and now I’m on my feet again, and I’m shining. The community helped build me up by showing me love.”
The business once had two locations, but the COVID pandemic forced Ortega to close operations not only in Vallejo, but also at its Pittsburg venue. In 2023, Ortega finally reopened at a new location on Solano Avenue, where it remains today.
Since then, customers have come often and requested several different favorites. Ortega said the popular favorite is likely the Mango Delight, which contains apples, mango, pineapple, and peaches. But other customers have also raved about how healthy his smoothies are.
“I had a customer the other day tell me, ‘Carlos, you helped save my life,’” Ortega said. “I didn’t know what he was talking about, but he then added that after he went to his doctor, he began having my smoothies a lot more, and when he went back to the doctor, he was told his heart was looking better, and his sugar levels had improved.
“Reasons like that are why I keep going,” Ortega added.
Ortega said he appreciates the added press he’s enjoyed lately from multiple news outlets and says he plans to frame this article to show to his daughter.
“I framed the old Times-Herald article in 2016, and I’ll frame this one because I want my daughter to read it 10 years from now and realize that I never gave up,” Ortega said. “Life was difficult, but I never gave up.”