To celebrate, enjoy 15% off all woman-roasted Vega Coffee with code WOMENSDAY15.
Shop coffeeAt Vega Coffee, we dedicate ourselves to highlighting the work of women throughout the coffee supply chain, from the farm to your cup. So, in honor of International Women’s Day, we’re kicking off a new series of guides we’ve named, The Ultimate Guide to Women-Owned Coffee Shops. This first guide features my native Southern California! We were elated to find out that this is actually quite an undertaking, given how many women-owned businesses there are in Southern California.
We profiled each business owner, and created a map to make it easy for those in the area to visit them. What better way to kick off today than to support your local woman-owned coffee shop? Each of these women bring something unique and beautiful to the world of coffee, and let me tell you: their drinks will have you California dreamin’.
I raise my mug to these inspiring women. Thank you for your steadfast dedication to making delicious coffees and everyone’s day a little brighter.
Happy International Women's Day!
Noushin
Co-Founder, Vega Coffee
PS - If we accidentally missed you in this guide, or if you have an idea of where we should take our Ultimate Women-Owned Coffee Shop Guide next, please reach out to us at community@vegacoffee.com!
Table of Contents
I like getting up early to make coffee for my partner and I. I start the kettle on our gas stove to heat up enough water to make a Chemex for two, and light candles while it heats. I weigh out and grind around 30 grams of fresh Canyon Coffee beans. When the water boils, I pre-wet the filter, and after another minute or so, I go about slowly making my pour over, letting the coffee bloom for 30-40 seconds before continuing to slowly fill.
Welcome Coffee Cart - run by June Haupts! We started our businesses around the same time, and have been lucky enough to have partnered with June for a bunch of events since then — over the last three years now! When working with June I know I have nothing to worry about. She is one of the hardest workers I know and brings so much joy and ease to all that she does.
I have many coffee rituals. 3 days a week I wake up at 6 a.m. and make 125 specialty coffees for LinkedIn employees before I even have coffee myself. The other days I like to make a french press for my partner and myself of single origin coffee. We sit outside and work on the crossword and slow down with one another. That is a priority when I’m not making coffee for other people. We love supporting our local coffee houses and frequent the baristas daily, ordering a shot of espresso each.
My most popular drink on the menu is the Lavender Latte. I pick the lavender and infuse it in a simple syrup and add 2 shots of espresso.
My friend Casey owns Shreebs Coffee in LA. She is about to open a shop in Silverlake/Echo Park area. She started off in a shipping container in the Arts District. Her design is gorgeous and artsy. She is a huge advocate for women owned businesses.
Every morning at least before 9AM, it’s Black Coffee over ice and then the day begins.
So far, “the jeffreys” per my husband, business partner is everyone’s favorite (Peanut Butter Caramel Latté on the Secret Menu).
Since we are not a mobile coffee cart / coffee shop, we still visit local roasters and coffee shop on weekends with our girls. My personal favorite is The Merchant in Long Beach (Bixby Knoll)
My daily coffee ritual involves quite a few stops. I start my day with a large french press and a good book on my porch. Then comes a late morning stop at one of my favorite local cafes for an almond milk flat white where I whip out my computer and get some work done. I try and switch it up for my mid afternoon cafe stop where I cool down with a strong cold brew.
Ahimsa Caravan Cafe is a hit on the Southern California festival circuit where exhausted and overheated festival goers line up for our organic, fair trade and solar-roasted cold brew.
Leah Pringle's Red Window in Studio City is my saving grace. I first became infatuated with coffee and coffee culture while living abroad in Melbourne, Australia where I consequently found my drink of choice, an almond milk Flat-White. This was back in 2014 when no one in the US was doing flat whites. When I came back to California, enthusiastic to embark on my new chosen career path, I would speak with such enthusiasm about coffee in Australia, "It's ten years ahead of us!" Every coffee I drank upon return couldn't compare. Then, a miracle happened. An Australian couple opened a whole-in-the-wall coffee shop in my neighborhood called Red Window (it's actually in an old parking attendant booth in front of my favorite sushi restaurant). This sidewalk cafe reminds me everyday why I fell in love with coffee and every flat-white a reminder of my life abroad. Couldn't be more grateful to this woman.
I look forward to drinking my cup of coffee every morning since it's my fuel for my day. I'm always on the go during the week so I use the quickest method to brew my coffee at home. I usually grind my beans and then turn on my Moccamaster and while my coffee brews I get ready to work.
The most popular drink on our menu is our Oaxacan Mocha. It's our semi-sweet chocolate from Oaxaca, located in the south of Mexico, that contains almond and cinnamon mixed with our espresso blend that creates a perfect balance of flavor.
Kindness & Mischief- Love how Mo contributes to the community through coffee.
Great coffee and good vibes.
My daily coffee ritual is direct lining it into my veins. (If only.) 😀 We wake up at 2am every day to get our wholesale orders out by 7am, so coffee is absolutely essential to function. The first cup is for survival, so it could be a 7-11 coffee. 😆 (WHICH I know is a little sacrilegious considering we have access to specialty coffee) But the second cup is definitely to be enjoyed and to keep me going. Usually an oat milk latte if I'm feeling decadent or a cortado if I just need to power through.
At both of our shops (Crème Caramel LA and FrankieLucy Bakeshop) the most popular drink is our Ube Horchata. It's a vegan horchata with purple yam, coconut, almond, and rice milk, cane sugar, and cinnamon with a shot of espresso. It's pretty and delicious!
I love me a cappuccino around 10 am, then after lunch an espresso or in the hot summer months some of our cold brew.
Our Lattes are our # 1 selling (espresso) drinks, we make our vanilla and mocha in house, so those lattes are very popular as well.
I’m a big fan of Huckleberry Cafe and Cake Monkey Bakery.
I live just one block from my shop, so it is always a kiss from my toddler, (and also from the husband of course!) and a quick walk over in the 72 degree Burbank sunshine! I start the day with an unsweetened almond milk cappuccino with CDB.... without fail.
Our most popular drink is a classic... latte. We use Strauss Organic Milk so its rich, creamy and the perfect staple for a daily ritual! Our most popular food item is a our organic turkey havarti panini on ciabatta, baked fresh and sent to us daily by FarmShop.
Kindness & Mischief. Their owner is kind, caring and supportive of other females in the biz! She was willing to help me when I had questions and had just opened my business. She also runs her business very similar to mine, it is all about community and bringing people together. Plus she's doing some really cool pop ups and fun vegan stuff! Check them out at: http://www.kandmcoffee.com/.
I start my day with a hazelnut almond milk latte made by my favorite barista at Lou The French On The Block (Clay) then I usually get an americano later in the day, not because I need caffeine but because I LOVE IT SO MUCH ;-)
Latte !!!! regular, almond milk or soy latte doesn’t matter it’s delicious
I love Romancing the bean in Burbank, it’s warm, welcoming has great coffee and every single visit is everything it needs to be: delicious, great customer service with a great ambiance feels very welcoming. I also love the vibe at Palms Coffee in burbank. The owner is a hard working sweetheart with a great girly clean ambiance.
I am definitely the adventurous type in terms of coffee and always willing to try new flavors. I like seasonal Single Origen blends, Guatemala Finca el Injerto is one of my favorites ones at the moment. I do a pour over at home, I own a Chemex, and drink it black.
That is a hard one! Our Mexican Elephant Moca is pretty popular, it’s got Mexican chocolate, a little cardamon, a little cinnamon, coffee and your choice of milk. The Horchata Latte is also one of my favorites and it’s delicious!
Wow! There are so many! I’m going to give a shout out to the women business owners on our street, Glendale Blvd. in Atwater Village. Almost all my neighbors are women: Molly Fleming from Palette, Karen Olivas from Crux, Isabel from Dekor, Patricia from Crystal Matrix! Almost everyone on our block is female which is an amazing thing!
I don't have a daily coffee ritual at home anymore because I can just go into my coffee shop and use fancier equipment there :) I like to switch it up between espresso-based drinks and pour overs, but I tend to lean towards pour overs. We love to rotate our pourover bar bean selections at Found. Our ratio for beans to water/volume is usually 1:14. With freshly ground beans, a Hario gooseneck kettle, and the Kalita Wave dripper, I can make myself 10oz of a delicious single origin cup of coffee in about 3-4 minutes.
Our most popular is the Bourbon Vanilla Latte. Lots of people ask if there's alcoholic bourbon in the drink, but it's actually the varietal of the vanilla bean that we use (as opposed to say, a Tahitian or Madagascar vanilla bean). We make the syrup in house, and the drink is not too sweet. There's a nice balance of sweetness with the natural sweetness of the espresso, and I love that you can see the vanilla bean specks in the drink itself.
Gotta give it up for one of our mainstay local coffee microroasters, Peri Coffee, which is owned by Ingin Kim. She's based in Altadena, which is right next to us in Eagle Rock, and she nails it with the roasting. We love the Ethiopia Guji Majo that she offers -- it's juicy and a flavor bomb every time we brew up a cup.
My daily coffee ritual is usually an almond cortado or almond cappuccino. Cortado if I'm working, cappuccino if I have a moment longer to sit and enjoy!
The classics of filter coffee and cold brew are definitely hits, but our signature beverage called "The Kindness" is a best-seller. It's espresso, coconut condensed milk, cinnamon, and your choice of milk!
Oh goodness, there are SO many! I am super lucky to be surrounded by incredible women in my life. Kristine De La Cruz of "Creme Caramel" and "FrankieLucy Bakeshop", Justine Hernandez of "Just What I Kneaded" vegan bakery, Ernestine Lisa of "Leaf and Spine" plant shop, Desha Ferris of "The Designacture" archiand the badass ladies Marisol Sison and Sherille Samson behind "Ladies of Sound" just to name just a few! Oh, and Nairi Petrosian of RevCycle and Spin Movement as well as Corissa Hernandez of CBC Eagle Rock and House of Xelas — those ladies are just too amazing to not mention!
Recently it has been waking up to my boyfriend handing me a cup of coffee in bed!! It’s blended with my homemade almond cashew milk, (it’s called Amara Milk at my restaurant), mct oil, cinnamon and collagen! Then either we drink it in bed or go out to the porch and enjoy it while looking at the lovely San Gabriel Mountains.
It changes — during when its cold out our Amara Milk Latte and when it’s hot, our Rose Palmer, which is rose ice lemonade with beet juice (mostly for color).
I love Canyon!! I’ve known Ally since before she started Canyon. I love that she followed her passion and made a successful business never having been to business school and without previously being in the coffee world. Its impressive what genuine passion can create!
Kindness & Mischief is another woman owner business I admire. I first meet the owner because she was giving out free coffee samples at a cycling studio in eagle rook after class. I respect that kind of hustle! Plus their cold brew is topnotch!
Currently 5 months pregnant with my second daughter, so I've unfortunately switched to decaf most days (for the time being). But, on a normal morning, I head into L&H to grab a cortado or cappuccino!
Latte
My second favorite woman-owned coffee business in Socal is: Dinosaur Coffee co-owned by Michelle Hantoot because it is unapologetically original.
We roast our own beans. So morning ritual is never the same, but mostly consist of cupping the beans from the day before and I personally enjoy African Coarse grind drip coffee from Hario V60 Tetsu Kasuya Model.
I think, for this month, it’s a tie between the Latte and Rose Latte,
I would recommend the Assembly in West Hollywood, Eight Fold in Silverlake, Found coffee in Eagle Rock, and Lavender & Honey in Pasadena,
Every morning when we are dialing in our equipment I make myself an Almond Mylk Latte. We make our organic almond mylk in house fresh daily and use our signature blend secret garden on espresso. The healthy fats from the almond mylk combined with our organic espresso is a great way to fuel up in the morning.
The most ordered drink is our Vanilla Almond Mylk Latte. The most unique drinks on our menu are our Superfood Coffee, a vegan version of 'bulletproof', and our CBD Cold Brew Mojito - made with fresh mint leaves and super refreshing!
My favorites are UnUrban Coffee in Santa Monica and MeKa Coffee in San Diego. UnUrban is a bohemian style shop that was started over 20 years ago by Pam Stollings. In the past year they've transitioned their entire menu to be organic and everything is delicious! I have a lot of respect for Pam. As the owner of a shop that has seen decades, she has proven her ability to recognize what's working, what's not and make changes. Meka Coffee is a pop-up coffee cart company owned and operated by couple Sheree and Jeffrey Telmo. They offer fully customized services, from specialty coffee cocktails to stencils and stamps designed for your event. Their personalized touches and IG-worthy setup add a really fun element to any special occasion.
If I did drink coffee... I would start my day with a single-origin pour over, served black. I love the flavor profiles of our single-origin beans from Central and South America and I’m a big fan of honey-processed beans for the natural sweetness. I actually start my day with a Dona Chai latte, steamed with Oat or Almond milk.
8oz Flat Whites and 12oz Lattes
My absolute favorite is The Good Mylk Co. everything they do is on point – from the packaging to the product itself which is delicious and steams like a dream! I am also a big fan of Hi-Fi Espresso, it’s the perfect little local shop – the product is consistent and it’s a gorgeous space.
Nothing really is set. As soon as I get up in the morning, I feed my dog. I brew my first cup of coffee, single origin pour-over with fresh sample coffees from great coffee roasters all over the world. Dawn is a perfect time to taste coffee.
Document Latte, Document Cold
I couldn't say I've known enough woman-owned coffee business. I would love to get to know and to meet more through Vega coffee's article series.
I always start with iced coffee in the morning no matter how cold or hot it is. When I get to the shop I tend to have drip and espresso throughout the day.
These days, I would have to say the Rosemary Bee. It's pretty much a rosemary honey latte. Made with, honey, cane sugar and fresh rosemary from my garden!
Eightfold in Echo Park and Doubting Thomas in Historic Filipinotown. Both have great service and their coffee is always delicious!
My daily ritual coffee starts with my edible fresh flowers. Not just because I used be a florist, I just love how the flower smells that harmonizes with fresh coffee every morning. My name is Silbia which means Silver Flower and who knows? My life always has been smell like flower since I was born.
In our cafe, all the menu items are unique and popular. But the most popular are lavender and rose latte. There are many places in LA that sell rose latte and lavender latte. Our customers extol our lavender and rose latte, which taste much better than any other coffee shop.
I was busy working for the last two(2) years with bia coffee that i couldn’t look around. I will start this year.
I get to Sqirl around 8am everyday and the first thing I request is an Americano. Hot, Iced, or Misto…depends on the day, but for whatever reason, Americanos are my go to.
The two most popular drinks are the “AL-PUCCINO” - which is a sweetened Iced Cappuccino and our “HORCHOFFEE” which is our house horchotta married with two shots of espresso, served cold over ice.
Well…honestly, there are not that many - and so I love and support everyone I see on this list!! I also LOVE Wide Eyes Open Palms — Kat and her girlfriend Angie have opened up a lovely place in Long Beach … and Kat used to work at Sqirl :)
Full Circle.
Elyse: The 6am starts would be brutal without a breve piccolo followed by a 16oz iced latte on oat!
Kate: A lot of days I open the store, so my day starts with a LOT of espresso as I’m dialling in. My first ‘proper’ coffee of the day is usually a single shot tiny iced latte (about 8oz total) with a shot on the side, so I can taste how the espresso is going.
Elyse: In the summer, our iced macadamia latte is super popular! It’s made on Milkadamia with nuts from Byron Bay in Australia. During the winter months, our Aussie Cappuccino is a huge hit! We make it with milk chocolate shavings that melt into the milk.
Kate: We would say the ‘Aussie Cappuccino’. So all capps in Australia come with chocolate on top, so naturally we had to continue that tradition in our shop.
Elyse: I absolutely love Sqirl — Jessica Koslow is freaking amazing! I live just around the corner and am addicted to the crispy rice bowl with avocado! We use Friends & Family bread and pastries, and I of course adore Roxana — the ricotta pound cake is out of this world!
Kate: We’ve had the honour of meeting so many dynamic women in coffee through the Counter Culture community in LA. Roxana (and her partner Dan) from Friends & Family serve a full coffee and food menu, and the most INSANE pastries/bread. Also Karen Prugh (and her husband Jeff) have the cutest coffee spot in the Hermosa Beach area named 'Hi-Fi Espresso’.
If I'm at the restaurant, I make an Americano (short and strong!). If I'm home I'll brew a Chemex using Manufactory beans (currently I'm crushing on the 04 Latin 100% Colombia Timanco). Ideally I like to sit and enjoy it, and I try to stick to that at home, but at the restaurant I generally sip it between tasks. C'est la vie!
Our housemade cashew-date milk is hugely popular, and people are big fans of our lattes for that reason! Guests are also super into our vanilla-cardamom latte, which uses a housemade syrup steeped with vanilla bean, green cardamom and honey.
I'm a huge fan of Canyon Coffee, which is co-owned by a woman (and, admittedly, a good friend of mine), Ally Walsh. Ally and her partner Casey started Canyon as a passion project and have built it into something truly special and personal. They work so hard, they care so deeply, and they're incredibly kind and grounded. Doesn't hurt that their coffee is delicious :). I'll also mention here that their instant coffee is crazy good. After I tasted it for the first time I texted Ally to tell her that she might ruin my Chemex ritual!
Pretty standard: I go to Woodcat every morning and pour myself a cup of our batch brew, usually with a splash of cream or straight up. I have a trusty insulated travel mug so it keeps nice and hot and I sip on that throughout the morning, but some days it definitely lasts longer than others.
The people are currently hooked on our oat milk latte. A very close second is a cup of drip; it's really quick and so delicious.
I'm a huge fan of Kindness & Mischief and Dinosaur Coffee. Mo (K&M) and Michelle (Dinosaur) are the coolest! They both have tiptop coffee programs, really friendly staff, and a great eye for design. And like me, they're both totally hands-on and can never seem to sit still.
Most mornings I’ll make a Chemex for myself. I really enjoy the simplicity of a hot cup of black coffee early in the morning to get my day started. Lately I’ve been digging our new Decaf bean that tastes so good, you barely can detect it’s decaf!
Our shop just opened in Echo Park a couple weeks ago so “popular” is hard to determine just yet however, the stars seem to be are our House Coffee Specials, which include our coffee + milk + our homemade flavors. A few of the favorites are; Vetiver forrest; which has Spruce tips, Lapsang, Lemongrass, basically forest in a cup! and Meadow At Dusk; orange blossom, rose water, and sea salt along with the Japandan; matcha, pandan leaf, and lemon peel shakin’ with milk.
There are so many women-owned business in SoCal that we love! There’s Ashley and Marie @proemstudio, Ari @couragebagels, Sarah @bearclawkitchen, Ilene @oursacredwomen, Hallie @futureofwomen, Vivian @komemevegetariano, Desa @lux_eros, Aishwarya @wearebrightland, the list goes on and on!!
I love our 04. I start off with a cup every morning. It’s a drip coffee that is 2.5 times higher in caffeine than espresso or specialty drip coffee. I’m addicted and many others are too. The morning jolt I need.
Absolutely…Iced coconut sea salt cold brew.. it’s my favorite too!
I have to be honest… I don’t know a woman CEO in the coffee business! Ten years ago, someone told me I was the only woman CEO in coffee industry – I thought that couldn’t be the case… Glad to know many more women are CEOs in this industry... in any industry!
Dial in espresso, have a cappuccino with a fresh baked pastry and start my day
Honey and Charcoal latte
Lauren of Smith & Tait, we opened our shops around the same time in West Hollywood. She’s doing such an amazing job with her shop.
When I’m working behind the bar, a small cup of our daily brew (an Ethiopian single-origin) is my go-to. It’s floral notes just hit the spot for what I love in a simple cup of coffee, brewed right. When I’m not working, however, I like a good ol’ cappuccino to get me up and running, and prepared for the day.
Our lattes, specifically our seasonal lattes. I (with the help of my team) usually try to ideate and create a new seasonal drink every 3-4 months. Our most recent features are a Black Pepper latte, a Fig Cardamom latte, and an extremely popular Honey Turmeric latte that has now become a signature drink of ours.
Dinosaur Coffee & Found. Both outfits are owned by seasoned coffee professionals (who happen to be women business owners as well :)) who have strong points of view of how coffee fosters community — a sentiment that echoes my own regarding coffee and coffee shops being the pillar stone of a community. It’s most gratifying to see how we bring people together and to see them connect in your own space, but so inspiring when you realize that others are trying and have done the same in their own neighborhoods!
On days when I’m not in the shop dialing in I like to keep it simple with an early morning french press. It’s usually still dark when I get up and I love to take that time to get the day started right. After I turn on my morning news podcast, I’ll weigh out whatever delicious new beans I’ve grabbed from the shop and set up my Portland Press while my pup Scout scurries about looking for breakfast. The first cup before heading out into the world is definitely the most important.
When it’s chilly out it’s usually a toss up between the Black Sesame Latte and Turmeric Spice Latte. Year round though, the Turmeric Latte is hard to beat. It’s become very popular iced for people before their workouts.
It’s been a pleasure to watch the female community grow so much in the past few years with amazing shops like Shreebs, Assembly, and Kindness and Mischief. Though our favorite woman owned-coffee business in California has to be Ritual be our incredible roaster. Eileen at Ritual has carved a great path for us and made sure that our little shop has had all the killer beans and support we could ask for.
I start a pot of brewed coffee as soon as I walk in the bakery at 3:15 in the morning. It takes 5 minutes to be ready (I timed it), as soon as it is ready I pour myself a cup with a splash of oat milk.
Latte
Dinosaur Coffee by Michelle Hantoot. Michelle keeps things fun. The space is airy with lots of natural light. I can’t think of a better space to have a leisurely cup of coffee. All of the baristas (women among them) make a mean cup of coffee. I always get a latte.
To be totally honest, I have been drinking matcha a lot since I had my daughter, but I still love an almond cortado or cappuccino!
Lattes are the most popular overall. But our seasonal specials sell well also, along with cold brew, matcha and our "Cryptid Latte" is fun for photos!
I like the ladies at Smith & Tait in West Hollywood. They were so sweet when I was getting started, and I love their little shop!
Marina: I make a pour-over first thing in the morning that I sip while reading a novel or the news. Then, I like an afternoon pick-me up in the second part of the day, either an Americano or a treat like an oat milk cappuccino.
Anya: I’m an espresso lover, so I drink espresso-based drinks throughout the day: a cortado or two in the morning, espresso in the afternoon and early evening.
Marina: People love cappuccinos, but of our specialty drinks the lavender latte and rose latte are very beloved and have their own dedicated fan base!
Anya: Most popular drink in cafe is the Latte.
Marina: Well I have to say Paper or Plastik! Although it's 2/3s women owned, as my dad is our partner. Otherwise, I love Botanica in Silverlake - they are a women-owned restaurant, but have a wonderful coffee program. Dinosaur is my other east side cafe haunt, 1/2 women owned!
Anya: I love the LA based florists Holly Flora, a women owned and operated business, love love my wonderful neighbor’s place, the Eco Dog, also owned and operated by an amazing woman, Karen. I’m convinced that behind many successful businesses there are strong, smart, loving women that make those places tick, even if we don’t know their names and see their faces.
Currently, it’s a cup of our drip coffee (I’m pregnant and caffeine limited!), black and nothing else.
People really love our Horchata Latte. We source the Horchata from a local Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood and it’s next level!
Shreebs!
I love waking up and having a nice bold chocolaty style drip coffee. The aroma of the coffee beans mixed with the rich flavors really get my day started in the right direction!
Hands down is our cold brew! Regarding preparation for making cold brew, we do everything the opposite. This out of the box approach actually happened by accident and we fell in love with the final product. Our cold brew is effortlessly smooth, bold, with hints of chocolate!
I would have to say that tectonic coffee is an amazing coffee company that really shows their endless efforts to create high quality coffees and a lifestyle to meet their product. I know this company is not solely women owned, but because of the fact that my husband and I own and run Met Ber At A Bar together, I personally closely relate and feel that Deaton, owner of Tectonic and his wife are doing an amazing job. Look them up and try their coffee!
I always start with black drip coffee that I either brew at home in our OXO brewer (super easy and makes extra in case my husband is home and/or my teenager wants some too), or I'll take a cup of our brewed coffee in store when I’m at work early. Either way, it has to be Aharon coffee, I’ve become completely spoiled by our black coffee and don’t like most others! I used to follow that 1st cup of Joe with a flavored latte (see what I wrote below WHY I did that - cause they are insanely delicious!) but lately I’ve become semi-obsessed with our ceremonial grade matcha so I usually have a matcha in the early afternoon instead of another coffee.
It somewhat depends on the weather - cold days bring us more hot (drip) coffee drinkers, and sunny days make our crisp refreshing cold brew more popular. Our handcrafted flavored lattes - iced and hot - are pretty popular too (We make the hazelnut flavor from grinding roasted hazelnuts, the vanilla from stripping the raw seeds out of the Madagascar Bourbon vanilla bean, the caramel from caramelizing sugar and adding heavy whipping cream and butter… you get the idea!)
Quite honestly, I’m so busy growing our business that I don’t even know of any other woman-owned coffee business in SoCal… But one of the things I love the most about the professional coffee world (and the men and women who make it up) is that it’s a really community-oriented, friendly and vibrant bunch of people. Coffee brings out the best in people and coffee people are by their nature usually people I enjoy to hang with! Maybe I’ll read this article once it’s printed and then I can go seek out some new girlfriends LOL...
My daily coffee ritual varies on how I wake up. On those days, the drinks I imbibe could trade between cafe americano, honey latte, chai latte, or whatever my taste buds dictate. For the most part, my most reliable go-to cup is the drip, straight black with no cream or sugar.
Our #1 drink at 310 Coffee Company is the café latte with drip coffee, cappuccino, and americano as runner-ups.
F. Gavina & Sons Coffee – Lisette Gavina Lopez is the Marketing Director and one of the Gavina family members. Sip & Sonder, an all black women-owned shop (here's an article: https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/sip-sonder-black-owned-california-coffee-shop/). Kindness and Mischief, founded by Monique "Mo" Maravilla. And Kalsada Coffee, a Philippine coffee exporter to US and other markets, founded by Carmel Laurino. These womentrepreneurs inspire me. They are changing and diversifying the coffee arena and business landscape at large to show to the world that women have the competence, background and know-how to offer its constituents quality products, services, and information.
I like to start my day with a cup of coffee with butter and coconut oil (SUPA+) added to it. Coffee is already the best smell in the morning but with butter and coconut added, it's an extraordinary treat for the sense and the frothy texture of the SUPA+ is happiness in my mouth.
For hot drinks, it is definitely the SUPA/SUPA+. For cold drinks our cold brew is the best in LA (test it!) and our layered latte drinks like the Supafly Iced Latte or Supafly Iced Matcha.
We are so lucky to belong in Pico Robertson's diverse neighborhood, we would like to give a shout out to our neighbor Cafe Panamericana across the street- owned by the talented Jessie Alexander. She makes the most delicious empanadas, perfect pairing with her Latin infused coffee beverages. Love our small business neighbors. We also love the awesome Paper/Plastik on Pico owned by an artist and her family- Marina Michelsen.
Our coffee ritual both at home at at Howling juice are pretty much the same. Start off by grinding some fresh coffee beans from our LA local coffee provider and pour the first cup to a happy customer and myself! I personally like to add a little almond milk and coconut sugar...to sweeten things up!
People really love our Turmeric and Ginger lattes and alot like it dirty, sweetened with honey or coconut nectar. We use organic cold pressed ginger and turmeric...so it really adds a punch!
We really love Three Weavers. It's a craft brewery based in Inglewood. The founder is a female. They are rocking it!
We like to experiment with brewing different beans... Whenever we have a chance to visit new places, it’s fun to try coffee from local roasters and learn about their backstories. It changes the way it tastes, knowing who and what influenced creating that coffee. Also on the daily lineup is coffee from Kean, Common Room, and Sidecar :). Depending on how much time we have before leaving for school, I like to stir in a dollop of ghee and sprinkle in a little stevia.
At all of our locations, our signature blend drip coffee and lattes are neck and neck for most ordered.
Neat Coffee! The world simply needs more Ally Garvin-infused businesses sprinkled in every city, in every neighborhood. With her first location, she succeeded in creating a space where people were drawn to come back, repeatedly, receiving not only an incredibly beautiful cup of coffee, but also an incredibly beautiful feeling of warmth and hospitality. This is where she shines! Neat Coffee’s brick and mortar will be opening (....?). Kean for pioneering third wave coffee in Orange County. I love the established feel of Kean, like a favorite old sweater, bearing the nostalgic stories of a generation whilst being regarded with great esteem by the nouveau in coffee roasters.
Before the shop opened our morning ritual consisted of either pour over coffee or matcha tea in the mornings while going over our schedule for the day. We love to take that time to not use any electronics. Sachi is a big fan of morning pages and Chiyo keeps a planner so it’s always nice to do some reflection and journaling during this time.
Now that the shop is open and we live so close, we swing by to enjoy coffee there. It’s nice to sit at the bar and chat with our regulars.
The Dirty Earl. It is an Earl Grey Lavender Latte which is naturally flavored using our loose leaf tea. It is made with any milk option (Oat milk is most popular) and an added shot of espresso.
We are so proud of sisterhood and all of the brilliant women we know. To name a few..
In early December, my husband and I welcomed our second baby girl into the world, so my typical daily ritual of either working a shift on bar or stopping by the shop for an early morning oat milk cappuccino has turned into a pour over or French press at home. (I really like the Kinto pour over set and the FORLIFE French press). Leaving the house before 9am has become nearly impossible, and as a new mom, I crave a hot cup - or two -much earlier in the morning.
Our two most popular drinks on the menu have consistently been a lavender oat latte (which our regulars quickly dubbed an "LOL") or a "Bee's Knees" (a spicy mocha with Mike's Hot Honey and oat milk). Both drinks are delicious iced.
The ladies at Roo Coffee in Silverlake are at the top of my list! Like most Australians, they are super sweet, extremely into coffee, and they happen to be in the Counter Culture family. Oh, and they pop into Hi-Fi to see us from time to time, which makes us feel special.
While I've never had the pleasure of meeting the owners of Daydream Surf Shop in Newport Beach, I am a huge fan from a distance and love and respect their entire image. Their Sightglass espresso is always fantastic, too!
And while our tea provider, August Uncommon, isn't necessarily "coffee" per se, we are enormous fans of Gina (and Aaron, the awesome husband and wife owner duo). August Uncommon Tea is the most delicious tea we've ever tasted. Gina drops in on us frequently and makes it a point not only to make sure their teas are on point but also to genuinely transcend our business relationship into a friendship. She is professional, transparent and warm. I love her.
My daily coffee ritual is to drink one cappuccino first thing in the morning. The best part is when my husband makes it for me while I am busy getting my kids ready for school- it helps me slow down and appreciate the moments spent with my family.
Our most popular drink is our Mocha with a ganache made in-house.
One of my favorite women owned coffee business is KIT Coffee. Jee Shin owns it and she was once the owner of Birdie Juice Bar (one of our neighbors) in our flagship location at SOCO in Costa Mesa. I miss seeing her smiling face when I would order juice in the morning before starting my day at work!
My daily coffee ritual starts when I get to my shop. I always start with some batch coffee to get the day going. Around midday I usually have an espresso. As the day progresses I move into Chemex pour overs or nitro cold brew, depending on the weather.
Our most popular black coffee drink is nitro cold brew (single origin) and the most popular sweet drink is the Honey Oat Latte(espresso, oat milk, honey) which tastes like honey nut Cheerios.
There are so many women-owned coffee businesses to choose from! I love Confidential Coffee in downtown Long Beach. The owner's name is Denise Maldonado. The menu has a lot of Mexican-inspired drinks and they do a lot of events to help the community. Another great business is Tonyan Coffee Roasters in Apple Valley. The owner and roaster is Rachel Tonyan. She has a predominantly female staff and she and I bonded over roasting on the same kind of roaster (Ambex YM-10).
A cappuccino a day, keeps the doctor away! lol. I drink a little bit of everything. I dial in the espresso in the morning and end up drinking that. I taste the batch brew to make sure it's tasting right and I end up drinking that. Just as long as I have coffee each morning, I'm good. But a cappuccino is definitely my go-to.
Probably the cajeta latte (semi-sweet Mexican caramel with a dash of cinnamon) if they want it hot and the mazapan latte(Mexican peanut candy topped off with shaved Abuelita chocolate) if they want it iced. We make all of our syrups in house and nothing is overly sweet; more of an aftertaste that they get in the drink.
Found Coffee in Eagle Rock! I worked alongside Annie Choi at Demitasse when I was barely learning more about specialty coffee and she is amazing! Black Ring Coffee is great, too! I actually carry their coffee at my shop. :)
Well, running a cafe with a full-service coffee bar definitely has its perks.. delicious coffee all day every day! For me personally, *Makenzie* I love starting the day with a piping hot cup of our drip coffee and once I've achieved my caffeine baseline, I can attack the day! After my first cup, my coffee addiction becomes very evident as I proceed to have a variety of other espresso-based drinks throughout the day. As for Cindy, she is tried and true to the extra hot vanilla latte.
I would say one of our most popular drinks on the menu is our traditional latte but we've noticed many people are attracted to our pour overs and specialty drinks such as our golden latte, matcha, and chai. It's fun to see the coffee community constantly changing and the customers pushing us to keep up with the needs of the ever-changing coffee culture.
One of my personal favorites is Coffee Dose in Costa Mesa (*Owner Jeni Castro*). The location much like ours is really unique (inside a hair salon) and has a fun energy. They have a great online presence and the whole premise of pushing the barriers and adapting to a changing coffee culture is so important! They are edgy and most importantly they serve up some great coffee with a unique flare!
Angie and I work in the cafe 5 days a week, so on work mornings, our ritual consists of arriving to open the cafe, drinking a big mug of hot water (sometimes with lemon) to start, and then either filling one of our cute vintage tea cups (which hold about 6 oz, and we serve along with a small carafe for our pour overs) with whatever batch brew we're serving in the cafe that day, or taking baby sips of espresso as Angie works to get it dialed in for the day.
Days when we don't work in the cafe are my favorite, though. As the chef at WeOp, I don't get my hands out of the kitchen and into coffee service as much as I'd like, so since Angie serves me coffee, multiple times a day, 5 days a week, I always make sure to brew us a single origin V60 every Monday and Tuesday morning. I serve us both 4 ounce cups and then put the rest in a small insulated thermos. We'll often sip and discuss the flavor notes or the way our body is responding to that particular coffee, and make plans for our day. While I brew, I often like to incorporate pranayama (yogic breath work) and a few gentle stretches during the bloom and the final drip. When you work in coffee, getting to take those quiet moments at home to make a slow, intentional, perfectly hand brewed single origin is just the best way to start my day.
Hands down, the rosemary latte. We make a syrup infused with a specific variety of organic, locally grown rosemary. It adds a subtle sweetness and a herbaceous undertone that our guests just love.
We have two favorites! Of course, our local female roaster and shop owner, Juliette at Black Ring for being such an active part and advocate of our growing LB coffee scene, and representing female roasters! And Kindness & Mischief in Highland Park. Beautiful drinks, gorgeous space, great coffee knowledge and customer service!
Raised in a Puerto Rican household coffee was in my blood. My fondest memories were waking up early in the morning before my siblings woke up and walking over to my grandparents house just a fews steps away and there was my abuela throwing a slice of wonder bread in the toaster oven slathering tons of butter on it and serving a nice hot sweet cafe con leche. and conversing about everything and anything I was just a kid. How i miss those days.
In high school everything had to blended. Oh how I hate blended coffee drinks now. Brain freezes just get me every time.
In college black coffee was my go-to. There's something special about diner coffee.
As I got older my appreciation for coffee grew my routine now as an adult consist of a mid-morning latte.
Our most popular drink on the menu is our Honey Vanilla Oat Latte.
I feel horrible but I never leave my own space. The Merchant takes up 99.9% of my time.
Black coffee in the morning, espresso in the afternoon. I actually rarely drink my coffee at home so if I'm not working in the shop, I like to visit other locally owned spots to say hi to friends and explore new coffees.
The Golden Latte is our most popular drink on the menu. We love this drink because we stumbled upon making it after falling in love with Roxanne's (owner of The Source) Turmeric "Rawmond Milk" at a local farmer's market. We combine it with our house made honey cinnamon syrup and Arcade espresso for a perfectly spiced and subtly sweet latte.
KIT. I think Jee and Eunice do a great job with their coffee and food program and they are wonderful humans.
Our drink called “The Burner” but I add collagen to mine. It’s the yummiest creamiest drink ever! Grass fed butter, coffee, MCT oil, and collagen blended to frothy perfection. I can literally feel my fat burning!
“The Beauty”. Housemade lavender or rose syrup, fresh raw almond milk and vital proteins collagen.
I’m obsessed with Holy Matcha in SD. It’s a matcha shop so no coffee but I would say it still falls in this category. The owner is a badass and her vision is similar to mine as far as aesthetic and experience. She knows what’s up and pays attention to detail. That is so important in this competitive industry.
Coffee is like H2O for me. I won’t be able to survive without it.
Iced Vanilla Latte with Almond Milk
Dialing in and using either Coffee Manufactory or Compelling Roasters. I’m usually drinking a cappuccino or a latte.
Our Cookie Cream Latte which is a vanilla latte, cookie-soaked sea salt whipped cream and fresh toasted cookie crumbs on top. It’s the best of both worlds!
We love supporting many female owned businesses! Coolhaus and us go way back to when we both had our food trucks (Nom Nom Truck & Buttermilk). Hapa Cupcakes, Blackmarket Bakery, Sqirl. Heartsleeves Coffee, Eat Fill, Rose Park Roasters, and Wide Eyes Open Palms.
We're never seen without an iced americano, taking sips when we can to help fuel our busy day!
Our most popular drink is a classic latte, with runner up being our pour over options.
Neat Coffee in Costa Mesa. Owner Ally is one of the most genuine, hard working, community-driven business owners we have ever known!
I do most of the cooking in our house so my husband washes all the dishes and makes all the coffee. Every morning he grinds our own roasted beans fresh in our Baratza Virtuoso for a manual brew/pour over into either our Chemex or Hario glass coffeemakers, as he has been doing for literally decades, long before pour overs became trendy. We always put the spent grounds into our garden as soil amendment for our mini-plantation of coffee trees. As coffee roasters, we tend to brew our own fresh roasted single origin coffees 99% of the time, unless we are trying out coffees from some of our other favorite roasters that we might have picked up along our travels. When I’m in one of our coffeehouses, my go-to is usually a small latte or a macchiato, as I do love espresso.
In the thirteen years that Kean Coffee has been serving coffee in our community, the perennial favorite drink on our menu is our Turkish Latte. Not to be confused with Turkish coffee, it is an espresso based drink with cardamom. People just love it and drive for miles to get it. It literally has a cult following.
As my favorite woman-owned coffee business in SoCal I’m going to put in my vote for Eunjoo Pluenneke, owner of Balboa Lily’s in Newport Beach. I will offer a disclaimer that Balboa Lily’s is one of our wholesale accounts, so there is some admitted bias. However Eunjoo is totally deserving. She works extremely hard to make her café the best it can be and has a huge heart. It is extremely apparent that she deeply cares about her employees and does all she can to give them the tools for success. The team at Balboa Lily’s feels like a family. Eunjoo named the café after her daughter Lily, who can often be found hanging out there with her mom.
I rarely prepare my own coffee at home. For me part the ritual is about going out into the world to grab my morning coffee. On my days off I love strolling to a local coffee spot and passing other people on the way and exchanging ‘good mornings’ or a smile. Most of the week my mornings are spent at Vacancy Coffee fulfilling other peoples coffee rituals and catching up with my regulars. I’ll usually wait until mid-morning to enjoy my first coffee of the day and it’s always an almond milk Flat White.
In the Summer it would have to be our Iced Maple Latte. It has the perfect hint of sweetness and is great to cool down on a hot day! In the Winter we love our Gothic Mocha. It has the delicious taste of a mocha with the addition of activated charcoal to eliminate toxins and fight ageing. The charcoal turns the espresso black in color which looks pretty cool when combined with steamed milk!
My mother owned several coffee shops when I was growing up so when I relocated here from Australia a few years ago I was so happy to see women doing great things in the coffee space. I am lucky enough to live a short stroll from KIT Coffee so I have enjoyed many exceptional coffees there. Eunice and Jee did such a phenomenal job creating that beautiful space. It has such a nice energy to it. Ally Garvin grew a really special coffee community in her tiny space at Neat Coffee and seems like an all round lovely soul. I’m so excited to see what she does with the new, larger space that she’s opening, I’m expecting great things! Also worth mentioning is Jeni of Coffee Dose in Costa Mesa. She absolutely nailed it in creating an 'Instagramers paradise' in her small space. She did something really original and makes a point to partner with women in business, I think that’s really awesome!
My go-to is always black coffee. I actually prefer room temperature coffee, so I'll let it sit out for a while before I drink it. I have a hard time drinking a lot of it at once so I have my favorite ceramic cup that hold about 6 ounces at a time and fill it up a couple times throughout the day. I try to not drink more than 3 of those little cups.
Our Rose Cardamom Latte is always a hit! I actually came up with the recipe last February and it has been a stable ever since. It is the perfect balance of sweet spicy and floral. My favorite way to have it is over ice with almond milk.
Neat Coffee - Ally is the owner and operator of this epic spot that is actually moving locations to right down the street from us! So stoked to have her and her amazing shop in the neighborhood.
I have a Linea at home and I enjoy making myself a cappuccino in the morning, sometimes I grind fresh cardamom that a friend brought from India, I use an old fashioned mortar pestle and brew the coffee on top of the fresh cardamom. It’s divine!
The Rose Latte is very popular. We make the syrup in house from organic rose petals. Not many tea providers have fragrant roses but we work with Red Blossom Tea from San Francisco, they have the utmost attention to product quality and freshness just like we do. Their roses are so beautiful when you open the can the room fills with fragrance.
The first one that came to mind is Sit Stay Cafe. Anita Anderson is the owner, she created a true neighborhood coffee shop in Huntington Beach, her focus is on creating a welcoming atmosphere for neighbors and their pets and it’s just so cozy and welcoming. For years it was our weekend routine to walk there and get a coffee. She inspired us to open our own place. Coffee is as much about the beans as it is about hospitality.
It really depends on the day! My go-to is a pour of our Lucid Dream Blend on Nitro. If I need the extra caffeine and sweetness, then I'll shake myself up a Cocoa Butter Kisses (Earl Grey Mocha).
Gold Rush, our Vietnamese-style Iced Coffee, Dairy-free, and on Nitro!
To be honest, I have not connected with any other women-owned coffee businesses in SoCal, so if any ladies in the industry want to connect...please reach out! #renewyourbrew
My coffee ritual would depend on the day! For a normal day it would be juggling a toddler's breakfast and trying to make a pour over with our Rivera Blend (my fav) and during the process having our little guy jump on the counter so he can "help mama." Then honestly probably getting 2 sips, forgetting it on the counter, drive the little guy to school, and then begging our barista to sneak me in a latte. Then as I'm running out the door to get my son grabbing another latte for the afternoon pick me up! :) That being said- a day off with my family is the dream! We do not get it much but when we do it's a treat. We will have a french press at home with breaky and then hopefully pop out on a family outing where will grab a cappuccino at a local shop.
The most popular drink on the menu to drink is the Lavender Honey Latte for sure. The most asked about drink would be Moon Milk! If you're curious like others, it is a Butterfly Pea Tea Latte with your milk of choice, cinnamon, honey, fresh ground nutmeg, and topped with freeze dried blueberries. It is caffeine free which is why it not the most popular :)
A favorite woman-owned coffee business would be Ally from Neat Coffee in Costa Mesa. She is the sweetest! Ally opened up and shared so much about her business and really inspired us in our journey! We need more woman in coffee, it's definitely a guy's world!
I’m a drip girl! Weekdays I’m usually rushing off in the morning to get my little guy to preschool, so a pot of drip is my go-to at home. I enjoy it most with a little cream and sugar!
When I’ve got more time usually later in the afternoon or weekends I’ll go to the shop for a pour over.
I would say our most popular drink is the Hometown latte. It’s an all organic maple latte made with pure maple syrup that we get imported from my husbands hometown of Almonte, Canada. (He swears the maple there is the best! ; ))
I love kit coffee! Great coffee, great vibe, and close to where we live.
I drink coffee all day! Something we do a little bit different here is that I make sure all my baristas and I taste all the lattes we serve to ensure consistent quality and taste that the customers are expecting. Quality and consistency is key. That alone is enough coffee for me lol.
We specialize in unique Hispanic inspired drinks. Our most popular drink is our signature drink - MAZ Latte. MAZ is short for Mazapan, a Mexican peanut candy that instantly crumbles and melts in your mouth. We put the Mazapan candy, along with hazelnut and chocolate flavors with espresso and choice of milk. If you love the nutty flavors, this is your sweet latte heaven. Our Horchata Latte is exceptional and equally as popular.
Mo, owner of Kindness and Mischief and I actually took the same class from PACE Business Development Center (BDC) and Women’s Business Center (WBC) right before we started our coffee business venture. I admire her tenacity and dedication to charge through all of the obstacles that she faced trying to open her cafe for a long time. I understand as a fellow business owner how hard it must have been to launch through all of the challenges she faced but she made it happen! It's so great to see how well K&M is doing especially her involvement with her community.
Is the pour-over coffee method-using my favorite freshly ground “M” blend (beans sourced from Honduras and Indonesia).
Affogato — we use a high fat vanilla ice cream and a special topping recipe.
I usually get my coffee fill as I’m setting up the shop every morning. I’ll have a couple espresso shots as I dial it in for the day, a cup of drip coffee and a taste of cold brew. On my days off, I love hoping in the car with my husband and our 80-pound husky to visit other coffee shops.
Iced Vanilla Bean Latte with Oat Milk is truly the favorite. The Lavender Latte is a close second and is gaining popularity by the day. Using real vanilla beans and lavender flowers in the house-made syrups is a perfect way to sweeten up any beverage without the artificial additives.
High Tide Coffee in San Clemente is fantastic. They visited us when we first opened and have been beyond encouraging and kind ever since. Their new location is so cute and staff is awesome. It’s a perfect place to spend my day off to read book and drink some good coffee.
My morning coffee ritual is pretty simple...every single day, the first thing I do when I arrive in the shop is have a popular drink on our menu — a salted honey latte with a double shot of espresso.
Our most popular drink on the menu is our dirty turmeric: espresso, turmeric, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, ginger and steamed milk.
Cold brew with honey and oat milk!
White lavender mocha.
Dane Coffee Roasters! Quality roasted coffee by a working Momma!
My daily coffee ritual is to drink a mazapán cortado
The most popular drink on our menu is our Por Vida Latte (canela and brown sugar) and our Mexican Mocha. FUN FACT: Both were our very first and only specialty drinks when we first opened our business November of 2015
My favorite woman-owned coffee shop is Marleez Koffee, Marlene, the Owner, had her career set in the corporate world, but that wasn’t fulfilling her, she always had her heart set in opening a coffee shop! She quit her corporate job to follow her dream, that’s super inspirational to me.
I make myself a single origin cappuccino with almond milk to start the day. For the rest of the day, I'll sip an Ethiopian pour-over, which is just as delicious cold as it is hot.
Our house-made syrups are very popular, right now the lavender latte and brown butter latte are really popular. Our Single-origin pour-overs are always popular also.
Well that's a hard one. I know a lot of awesome women in coffee. Cat & Craft Coffee is a great new coffee shop in Carlsbad that also finds homes for rescued cats. My friend Caroline just opened it, and, she happens to be carrying my coffee also.
I'm a choco-holic so I drink a hot oat mocha every day. In the afternoon, I drink coffee (with a little oat milk). Yes, I LOVE OAT MILK!!!
Dirty Banana Mylk. It's our vegan milk made with oat, coconut creamer, bananas and espresso (that's the dirty part).
I think Cafe Virtuoso is a great business. It's in San Diego. The owner, Laurie Britton, is an inspiration. She does it all and she knows how to sell her product very well. I admire the fact that she can run such a tight ship with a lot of employees, and keep up with the demand for her coffee roasting program and cafe as well.
Valeria: In the mornings I make a pour over using either our El Salvador Divisadero or Guatemala Huehuetenango, I like a rich, chocolate, sweet and fruity coffee in the morning.
Kim: Since I became a mom, I have experienced some health issues so ironically, I am mostly off caffeine. I love a delicious decaf as often as I can get it, and getting real about life, i brew a pot of decaf in a standard mr coffee and drink it hot, lukewarm, cold or reheated ten times. Decaf is hugely underrated, and in my opinion, is a true coffee drinkers beverage. All the flavor, none of the “benefit” of an energy boost.
Chrissy: Every morning at home I have an oat milk cappuccino and Sam has a cortado. Sometimes we have pour overs instead, especially when a new variety of coffee has been roasted.
Valeria: I think the most popular drink on our menu is our Cortado which is a flawless coffee forward espresso drink with smooth textured steamed milk to balance the acidity of our espresso perfectly.
Kim: I think the most popular drink is DRIP COFFEE!! besides that, iced lattes that pair perfectly with out mostly idyllic weather.
Chrissy: The most popular drinks on the menu are classic hot and iced lattes. Sometimes with additions added, but mostly just milk and coffee.
Valeria: My favorite women owned coffee business in California would be Ritual; Eileen Rinaldi builds long lasting relationships with her coffee producer partners which shows loyalty and she stresses the importance of having women in leadership positions in her company in addition to other marginalized groups.
Kim: I think there are a lot of cool female owned shops in Southern California, however in making a list it truly shows how we are still a vast minority. Even at our shop, most often people ask for a manager or owner never expecting it to be any women. It has been exciting to see changes and evolution in the industry even in the last few years since we’ve been open, and I’m looking forward to even more progression for all minorities
Chrissy: Ultreya Coffee in San Diego. Danielle has all the passion for coffee and is doing great work in her new space. Coffee is a male dominated field (like most fields) so it’s especially awesome to see a woman succeeding. She’s been working in the coffee business for a very long time, and we wish her all the success.
Oh man! My coffee ritual has change so much since I just recently stopped nursing my baby and all throughout pregnancy I did my best to not have as much caffeine. But I love going in to our shop and enjoying a latte or cappuccino, because if I make coffee at home it turns into iced coffee when I’m too busy being mom. 😂
I feel like there are so many popular drinks, but I would have to say our Mazapán latte and one of my personal favorites Cafe de Olla latte!
And my ultimate favorite coffee girl boss (and family) would have to be @yayitzel at @coldbrewcityfest in San Diego 🙌🏽 Also amazing coffee girl boss is Amanda at @dirtypenguincoffeeco in Chino Hills.
My daily coffee ritual is 5 shots of espresso, always iced, right when I wake up. Being a mom to 2 little ones and running Rad full time, I need all the caffeine!
Rad Coffee’s most popular drink is the Cookies N Scream. While it’s not your run of the mill latte, it’s a coffee based blended drink with cookies and colorful whip. Plus you can opt for our cold brew concentrate instead of milk for a special kick.
I don’t think I necessarily have a favorite because we all have different stories that make our accomplishments and brands powerful in their own way, but right now I’ve been following Neat Coffee. Ally Garvin raised over $40,000 on Kickstarter recently to open up her own shop. That’s so incredible! I also want to shout out to Willa’s Coffee in Pasadena, who I just found out about, but she owns one of the only drive thru’s in LA County and works it herself 6 days a week! How bad ass!
My daily coffee ritual is waking up at 5:30, making a Chemex pour over, sitting outside on my patio and watch my dogs in the dark morning air. There’s something so wonderful about that first cup of coffee in the morning :)
Our most popular drink is our Mocha, made with homemade organic chocolate sauce, freshly roasted espresso and organic milk.
I get out of work around 6 A.M. in Chino, CA (I still have a full-time job :) I immediately catch up on my texts to see if any of my Chai-ristas have text me in case any items are required at Chai for the day...I then head out to Chai located in Yucaipa, CA and indulge in a Fawn (our house drink) in the distance I can see my Chai-rista watching me hoping I get that tingle on my jaw from a perfect dial! They are amazing so they have nothing to worry about!
“THE FAWN” 5 shots of STRONG Espresso...Breve...Cinnamon and Honey!
GREY WHALE COFFEE...she is an up and coming female roaster and we will all be hearing more about her in the near future...she is a bad ass Barista...and amazing roaster! She has also been a Chai supporter since day 1!!! LOVE YOU MK!!!
I believe that my dreams are just a little bit sweeter at night because I truly look forward to our morning pour over coffee ritual. My husband DeShun will almost always brew our morning coffee, either with Hario V60 or Chemex. I'll admit it feels romantic when we drink coffee and dream together in the morning before starting the day. If we happen to have an Ethiopia Guji with berry notes available, then it will be a very good morning! And if the coffee gets to room temperature before the cup is done, even better - love how prominent the notes are at this point.
Iced and Hot Lattes are still our number seller, and for those who look for a sweeter drink our Mayan Mocha or Belgian Mochas are popular since they are made with a smooth house-made Belgian chocolate ganache and offer an amazing velvety mouthfeel! The brown sugar caramel latte is a close second, and with all syrups and sauces scratch made in house the lattes are a real treat.
To be honest we have a hard time coming across woman-owned coffee shops! We were pleasantly surprised to find out Kit Coffee was woman owned since we've been admiring their shop via Instagram and have been planning a visit!
Cappuccino, using big trouble blend from counter culture coffee on espresso
Latte
Roo Coffee in Silver Lake. Great drinks and an awesome crew.
My personal daily coffee ritual includes a big cup of black coffee, with a dash of cream if I’m feeling fun. Brew methods typically include a french press or pour over, depending on time, and if I’m at Cloud 9, I’ll skip all of that + have a yummy latte.
Our most popular drink on the menu is an iced Coffee Julep, which is an iced latte, with our house-made basil + mint simple syrup. It’s earthy, yet sweet, and everyone loves it!
My favorite woman-owned coffee business in Southern California is Communal Coffee in North Park, San Diego. I went to college in SD, so I was there all the time. I love the style and ingenuity the owner brings to the space. Not to mention, out of all the incredible coffee shops in San Diego, that’s one of the only ones (that I know of) that’s owned by a woman. I love that the specialty coffee industry is becoming more aware of women in coffee + now we’re seeing females participate in every aspect of the industry - from barista championships, to coffee shop owners. It’s all good and I’m definitely here for it. :)
Since having my son two months ago I have totally changed my morning ritual. Mornings start off with a few taste shots of espresso while dialing in the machine. That usually gets me pretty pumped and jumpy. Once the machine is dialed I take my final shot and turn it into a cap. Don’t miss one day of enjoying a cap. Mid afternoon I will usually make myself an iced latte or a small cup of cold brew (that I almost never finish because I get distracted…)
Our shop sells the most cold brew and vanilla lattes.
Miria Moreton. Miria found me on Instagram and we’ve had this really adorable insta-friendship since. She owns a coffee shop in Grover Beach, Ca and is married with three adorable little girls. We have so much in common with doing business while being married and having children. It’s so many hats we juggle. Not to mention she’s hilarious and runs a total boss instagram account. Who doesn’t love a good latte art challenge! So even though we have never physically met I seriously respect her and her running a business!
My daily coffee ritual: a pourover, black. At home I use a kalita or v60. Even if I have the option for espresso, I always go for coffee, straight up. 2-3 cups a day, less if I know I'll be cupping that day.
Our most popular drink is probably our flat white. At 5 ounces, I think it’s the perfect mix of espresso and milk. We use Straus Barista half + half for a super creamy, rich texture.
My favorite women owned coffee business in So Cal is Handlebar in Santa Barbara. Kim also owns her business with her husband like I do, but what I love about their shops is they have created beautiful open and inviting spaces. You will mostly likely always find Kim on bar slinging coffee with a smile. Their staff is wonderful, and for me great customer service can be hard to come by in our industry and they nail it every time. I always have a great experience there.
Well, I have two girls (8 and 10 years old) so many mornings the first thing I do is get the kids ready for school. My first cup of coffee is usually after 8:15a school drop-off. I love to start my day with a tasty espresso or, if I need something sweet, I like to go for a 6oz almond milk cap. On days where I have time to sip slowly, I will choose a pour over of my current fav, Ethiopia Boji or share a cup of coffee over breakfast with my husband. Coffee makes me happy so really whatever choice I make, it is the perfect way to start my day!
Our most popular drink on the menu is either a cappuccino or a dirty chai.
To be honest, I wish I knew the names of more female owned coffee businesses. I think this article will help me with that. My current favorite is probably Scout Coffee in San Luis Obispo. I love the family friendly atmosphere Jon and Sara Peterson have created. I love that they are also a husband and wife team, like Shawn and myself and that they are also juggling raising a family alongside their successful business. It is not easy to balance marriage, children, and work, but it is possible and I respect anyone who is doing so with grace and warmth like the owners of Scout.
I also love Annie Choi the owner of Found Coffee in LA. She is a hard working, fun, and very kind woman running a rad LA coffee house.
There is Red Kettle Coffee owned by Megan Tingstrom who is doing a great job running a local coffee house in Summerland.
A few other great coffee businesses that I know are husband and wife are Dune Coffee, Handlebar Coffee, and Beacon Coffee.
I’m an Single origin AMERICANO GIRL / Always black, every morning after a large glass of water... When opening the shop espresso tasting:)
Espresso and the CORENA CORTADO. Double shot, milk, and simple syrup that taste like a churro!
GOOD SEED COFFEE in Solvang
My daily coffee ritual is to pull the first few shots on our espresso machine to dial it in. After it's dialed in I pull a double shot for myself and make an Americano, enjoyed black. I've found that this is my favorite drink and also allows me to check our shots to guarantee the best pulled espresso.
Our most popular drinks ordered are lattes and drip coffee. For drip coffee we have 6 coffee roasts available daily. 3 house blends and 2 rotating seasonal blends or origin coffees available for special pour-overs. Our house blends consist of The Kettle Black (dark roast), 805 (medium roast, and most favored due to its low acidity, very balanced and smooth) and our Organic Summerland (organic Colombian light roast). We also have an excellent decaf espresso (swiss water process) that has become very popular.
We do have a few Local Specials that we have become known for. One is The Ray of Sunshine Latte - which is a turmeric latte and the other is The Salty Bumblebee Latte, honey and pink sea salt.
Favorite women owned coffee business is our roaster Moore Coffee & Tea (http://moorecoffee.com/). She is a small batch private label roaster out of Ventura, CA. Not only is Gayla Moore a super talented roaster but she's an amazing human being - always positive, always willing to help and just really passionate about coffee, and in turn makes you a better coffee professional.
I’m all about espresso these days. I start the day by making myself a double shot of espresso. I sip on that while I make breakfast for our family. Then, I usually make a second espresso pretty much right after the first one’s down the hatch. I’ve been loving it over ice recently, and will sip on it on my way to the office. Then, I love having a third espresso around late afternoon, say 5pm, to round out the day. Depending on the day, I may have a drip somewhere in between my espressos. :)
We only sell single origin farmer roasted coffee on our site, www.vegacoffee.com -- and far and away, our medium roast Nicaraguan is our #1 seller. It offers a little something for everyone: chocolate-y sweetness, spice and acidity. All in all, it’s a well-rounded crowd-pleaser, and we’re thrilled that folks are enjoying it.
June Haupts, who owns Welcome Coffee Cart, is just wonderful. We hosted June at our Nicaragua HQ as part of our Experts in Residence program. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable, but she is unfailingly kind -- basically, just awesome.
As a Santa Barbara resident, I love my local women-owned coffee shops, like The French Press, Dart and Handlebar. Then, there’s Ragamuffin Roasters in Newbury Park -- my folks live in Thousand Oaks, so I always make it a point to stop by Ragamuffin for some coffee whenever I’m en route to/from home.
My coffee ritual depends on if I'm home or at the coffee shop. At the coffee shop it's all peace and quiet. I always start the day with a double espresso and a Gibraltar. At home it's loud and distracted with 3 little girls and a puppy running around. But i always manage to make myself a delicious pour over coffee.
Our lattes are very popular at the shop. Our customers love our house made syrups. The honey lavender is a huge hit, but our vanilla latte is the most popular.
One of my favorite coffee shops in this area is Scout Coffee located in San Luis Obispo. One of the owners is Sara Peterson, and she does a great job with the style & decor of the shop, high quality of drinks, while also managing a toddler & newborn.
I also admire Cammy Garman. We've become great friends through instagram and I was so proud to see her run Palm & Boy while being pregnant and going back after becoming a mom.
I’m lucky because my husband makes me filter coffee every morning (from our Roastery: HoneyCo) when I wake up. We sit in our living room and have a few moments together before our days begin. It’s one of my favorite rituals and the day doesn’t feel right if we miss this start. We have to get up early to do this before the kids wake up but it’s always worth it!
When I get to the cafe I usually order a cappuccino with our housemade almond milk... I kind of count it as breakfast on a busy day because our almond milk is super rich!
The most popular drink at Scout is our latte. We make several seasonal syrups in house to offer for our customers that want things a little sweeter. Our most popular additions are probably our Vanilla Bean or Wilderness Syrup (made with Douglas Fir tips, maple, and a little citrus zest).
Our Honey Tea Bowl is also a customer favorite! It’s steamed soy/ oat or almond milk with honey and chamomile or coconut tea.
I actually don’t spend hardly anytime south of SLO... so sorry my list is a little short...
Some of my favorite women owned businesses are:
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