It was during a conversation with my cousin at a neighborhood café that the idea of starting my own coffee shop first took root. I fell in love with coffee shops as such warm, lively third spaces, and as an NGOs and Social Change major at USC, I began weaving social impact into my vision with each class I took. The idea had started to become so elaborate in my phone’s Notes app that it felt wrong to part ways with it.

The catch? I barely knew anything about coffee.

Even so, I was either stupid enough or brave enough to take the leap – with incredible help from friends and family. One friend designed and built my cart with me, another created the logo, my friend’s dad did my plumbing, and a cousin’s friend taught me how to be a barista and fostered my passion for coffee. The list of people and my gratitude for their help goes on, but the essence is this: Brewser’s Coffee truly came to life through an entire community.

My coffee cart is just the start of this journey, but I’m so excited to see what Brewser’s Coffee becomes. Each sale brings me one step closer to my dream of opening a community-driven coffee house.