Chamber Spotlight:
Tangerine Express: Global Innovation, Local Commitment
Some businesses begin with a storefront. Others begin with an idea. Tangerine Express began with technology, family, and a vision that eventually led to Panama City Beach.
The story began in 2024 with Miguel Vargas, creator and developer of Que Pedimos, an innovative bilingual ordering and restaurant-management platform. Miguel worked with his son, Johan Sebastian Vargas, to integrate Que Pedimos directly into Clover as a native application, laying the foundation for a broader technology and payment-services company.
That technology was already taking shape when Canadian entrepreneur Wessel “Wes” van Loenen became an investor, co-owner, and managing partner. His connection to the company is also a family one: Wes’s wife, Diana, is part of the Vargas family, bringing two families together through both business and personal relationships.
Wes and Diana invested in the company and came to Florida with their two children, drawn by Panama City Beach’s entrepreneurial spirit, economic opportunity, and strong sense of community. Their vision is to build a company that grows alongside the community around it.
Today, Johan serves as founder and general manager, bringing his technology experience and knowledge of Que Pedimos to the company. Wes is preparing to help lead the company’s next stage of growth, including its brand, operations, and expansion of local services.
Supporting the company’s current operations are Sophia Espinal, administrator and project manager, and Dawson Venable, technical support and customer care specialist. Together, the local team helps clients from their initial consultation and onboarding through installation, employee training, and ongoing support.
Tangerine Express serves restaurants, cafés, bakeries, food trucks, retail stores, and other small businesses with Clover and iMin point-of-sale equipment, payment processing, Que Pedimos software, online ordering, delivery-management tools, installation, training, and technical support.
But technology is only part of the story.
The other part is people.
Tangerine Express takes the time to understand how each business operates and what its owners actually need, rather than simply selling equipment and moving on. The company is also proud to provide bilingual English and Spanish support, helping bridge language barriers for business owners throughout Panama City Beach and the Florida Panhandle.
As the company grows, Wes and Diana envision creating additional local jobs, including opportunities for motivated sales professionals to help expand Tangerine Express and build relationships with businesses throughout the region. Diana also plans to join the company’s sales and marketing team once authorized to work in the United States. Tangerine Express also looks forward to supporting fellow Chamber members and participating in community initiatives.
For the family behind Tangerine Express, this is about more than technology.
It’s about building relationships, creating opportunity, and growing something local with a global vision.
Learn more at www.tangerinexpress.com, email info@tangerinexpress.com, or call (448) 334-6638.
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