Juan Davila '82 Cooks Up Entrepreneurial Notion

July 1, 2004

July 1, 2004, Greencastle, Ind. - "An East Side neighborhood is getting a new bakery specializing in Mexican and Hispanic pastries and European artisan bread," begins an article in the Courier & Press of Evansville, Indiana. "Juan Carlos Davila, 44, and his wife, Lucia, 40 -- natives of Mexico -- are preparing space in a building at 2828 Lincoln Avenue for their La Merienda bakery." Carol Wersich writes that Mr. Davila, a 1982 graduate of DePauw University, "is a former vice president of marketing in adult nutritionals at Mead Johnson Nutritionals."

The story continues, "Offerings at La Merienda will include pastries made in the Hispanic tradition in such fun shapes as shells, turtles, bow ties and pigs, and German and Italian breads. The bakery name is Spanish for a typical meal or late-afternoon snack. Davila said he chose the established East Side neighborhood because it didn't have a pastry shop. 'We thought it would be nice for the residents,' he said.

The newspaper notes that "Davila first came to the United States as a youth exchange student. He lived with an American family at Hamilton, Ohio. He later studied psychology and business at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and returned to Mexico to work for Quaker Oats Co. Nine years ago Quaker transferred him to Chicago, where he was director of international marketing for the company. His wife accompanied him to America. A year later Davila joined Mead Johnson, where he remained for the past eight years. 'Lucia and I decided it was now time for us to start a business together,' he said. Besides preparing for the bakery, the couple keep busy caring for their 15-month-old triplets -- daughters Sofia and Adriana, and a son, Emilio."