By Diego Oré
MEXICO CITY, July 2 (Reuters) - Amid the sea of green that washed over Mexico City after the country's World Cup victory over Ecuador on Tuesday, one shop defiantly hoisted the Ecuadorian flag and welcomed all the downtrodden fans of Mexico's opponents to a place of refuge.
Welcome to the Losers Cafe, a coffee shop in the cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Condesa that is comforting fans of the losing teams.
Each morning, small flags representing the defeated teams are raised at the cafe's entrance
to foster a sense of community. Inside, a free drink awaits those who come bearing the jersey of the losing team. Even the napkins read "dry your tears".
Monse Aguilar, a 24-year-old photographer supporting South Africa, visited the Losers Cafe earlier this week after her team lost 1-0 to Canada on Sunday and were eliminated from the World Cup.
"It's like a hug for the heart after losing," she said as she sipped a free drink.
The Losers Cafe was the brainchild of the Swedish dairy alternative brand Oatly, which then partnered with Ian Infante, the owner of the coffee shop.
Infante, whose shop is normally called Compay Cafe, said the idea resonated with him. The 38-year-old is originally from Venezuela and started the shop as a street stall in the nearby Roma neighbourhood before it grew into a storefront.
As an immigrant, he said, he immediately understood "the emptiness left by loss".
But his customers didn't all get it, at first. He said that during the first week of the World Cup, some struggled to grasp the concept of the newly branded establishment.
"People were saying, 'I'm not a loser.' But once we explained how it works, they understood it and began to enjoy it more, feeling a bit more connected to defeat," Infante said.
Rocio de la Cuadra Diaz, market developer for Oatly Mexico, said the company chose to launch the campaign in Mexico's capital - rather than in any of the U.S. or Canadian cities also hosting World Cup games - because of the rapid growth of the brand in Latin America and the local sense of humour.
"The concept of creating a cafe for losers in Mexico made sense because we almost always lose," said De la Cuadra.
Now that Mexico have won their first knockout game in 40 years, that mentality might change. Mexican fans are praying that El Tri can pull off a historic upset in their clash against England on Sunday.
And if not, there will always be the Losers Cafe.
(Reporting by Diego Oré, editing by Laura Gottesdiener and Toby Davis)
