At just 31 years old, Zuleika Liranzo is already a serial entrepreneur.
Since coming to the United States 11 years ago from her native Dominican Republic, Liranzo has made a living selling baked goods and paintings out of her house.
Looking for something more outside the box, she opened a truck repair shop in New Jersey.
Now that that’s established, she and her fiancée, Jose Manuel, have returned to Pennsylvania to do what Liranzo has always really wanted to do—open her own food business. A café on wheels, that is: ZHAGA Coffee Shop.
Holding its grand opening on St. Patrick’s Day, ZHAGA is starting out as a food truck-based business located on S. 3rd Street in Lemoyne, just off I-83.
From there, ZHAGA offers a variety of gourmet hot and iced coffees, teas and juices. The freshly roasted coffee beans are sourced from St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown.
The unique name, ZHAGA, comes from the first letter of her first name—Zuleika—and those of her four daughters: Haylee, Amy, Grace and Allison, who range in age from 3 to 9.
Liranzo said that what sets her apart are her freshly prepared, gluten-free desserts, breads, crepes, paninis and sweets—all with the health-conscious consumer in mind.
The vegan almond cake and other treats taste like they should be bad for you, but they aren’t. Growing up in a vegan household, Liranzo learned how to cook healthy.
Her father and her mother were both chefs, and her mother started her own vegan restaurant in the Dominican Republic, which is still running. In fact, Liranzo’s menu includes a mix of Dominican-American and Mexican recipes.
“I want people to know they can eat healthy, but it can still taste delicious, and it can be fun,” she said.
Zuleika Liranzo
Liranzo also takes her coffee shop on the road. Starting last month, she has ZHAGA booked for events in Lemoyne and elsewhere in the Harrisburg area, including on City Island.
She hopes to find a permanent restaurant location, preferably with a nice view of the Susquehanna River. In the meantime, she’s partnering with Uber Eats and DoorDash to provide delivery options.
“I always wanted a restaurant, but I don’t want to be in a place where nobody knows me, and I just sit in there and wait for customers to come in,” Liranzo said. “A food truck is better. I can move around, everybody can know how I cook, what I do, and after everybody knows me, then I can move to a place like a restaurant.”
The other businesses, like the truck repair shop, were good preparation for her real passion—ZHAGA.
“Every morning when you wake up, you have to have something that you love to do, so you wake up happy,” Liranzo said. “The truck company is good money. It’s good business, and you help a lot of people, but it’s a lot. Cooking and baking are what I love to do.”
The U.S. food truck industry is one of the strongest performers in the broader food service sector, according to a report published by IBISWorld. With revenue totaling $2.2 billion in 2023, the industry should continue to grow at a brisk pace through 2028, says the report.
According to IBIS, typical start-up costs for a food truck range from $75,000 to $250,000, with costs leaning toward the higher end in recent years due to rising expenses for labor and fuel and the price of the truck itself.
Liranzo said that her start-up expenses totaled a little over $37,000, sharing the costs with Manuel. She purchased the food truck on Craigslist from a man who was moving out of state. She kept her costs down by doing as much of the work as possible herself, assisted by family members.
The renovations include a gazebo next to the food truck location in Lemoyne, where customers can sit and unwind while sipping their drinks and enjoying ZHAGA’s healthy sweets. Unless the food truck is out on an event, it is based at the S. 3rd Street location.
Liranzo hopes to add more ZHAGA locations—at least four more so that each one of them can be run by one of her four daughters.
“This is for them, so they don’t have to start from zero like me,” she said. “Parents should be here to start something for their child so they don’t have to go through everything we go through.”
ZHAGA Coffee Shop is located at 319 S. 3rd St., Lemoyne For more information, visit www.zhagacoffeeshop.com, on Facebook and on Instagram @zhagacoffeeshop.
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