the story of cute coffee

Sabreen and Bianka, brewing joy, one cup at a time

Sabreen the dance queen

There are a couple of ingredients that do not grow in my foodshed, but that I absolutely depend on. Coffee is one of them. But it better be damn good.

Cute Coffee delivers. How I met the proprietors Bianka and Sabreen, can only be chalked up to fate.

Bianka the songstress

A short tale: One of the staff at my restaurant told me I had to meet them. She invited them to come by and introduce themselves. Yet the day they came, I wasn’t there. They left behind a couple bags of coffee beans for me and all the staff to try, which showed me their name in action. It’s super cute, right? I emailed them to thank them, but told them the truth, which was that I already carried coffee from our friends and didn’t want to have any competition. They were super sweet about it, and we said we’d keep in touch.

Several months later, I dragged my son out to Olema to an art show that a friend had some work in. When I walked in the door, I smelled the most amazing coffee, heard the most engaging, inviting voices, and knew immediately it was them. I said, “You must be Cute Coffee?!” We (even my 14-year old son, yes) hugged, chatted, tasted coffee, and decided they would come to my restaurant to do a pop-up so our Petaluma community could meet them and see what they were all about.

Let me tell you, when they arrive, they bring the energy, the joy, the music (you’ll see how that fits: read on), and the coffee knowledge. They evoke such an amazing, energetic scene, creating something everyone wants to be part of. Since the day that we hosted them at Lunchette, we’ve only carried their beans (sorry to my other coffee friends but the quality is truly beyond compare) and when they poppin’ up somewhere, I go wherever they are. I appreciate these two humans so much. They make people feel seen and connected. Like Bianka says, “We live in a world that disconnects us. We are meant to be connected. We are all here together.”

Recently, we spent time chatting about their vision, to see if I can help them manifest whatever that looks like. The vision is amazing, and worthy of our support. It will be the first of its kind in many ways.

The Cute Coffee mission: Bianka and Sabreen want to grow, ferment, roast, brew, sell, and educate the public about coffee beans in a similar way to how we already experience wine. This is a huge undertaking, and they are prepared to work for it. The low-hanging fruit is to find a location where they can roast the beans they already import from the farmers they work with in India, Africa, and Central and South America. It is here where they will set up a cafe, a sipping bar much like a wine tasting room. During this time, they will learn about what species and varietals of coffee will grow in our region, find land to farm the coffee, and get a fermenter so they can ferment the beans they grow. This would be the first of its kind in Northern California. Definitely a first for a female- and black-owned coffee importer!

If you want to know more about them and why I adore them, read this little q & a. So much cuteness abounds. If you just want to order their beans, skip to the end for link to website.

How did two you meet?

Bianka: met at a cafe in Venice Beach where I was working as a barista, working under Nicely, the 3-time world champ of latte art!

Sabreen: I was making hair accessories and selling my pieces at a boutique next door to the coffee shop Bianka worked at. Walking into that coffee shop was my introduction to specialty coffee.

What is it about coffee that speaks to you, aka, why coffee?

B: I come from a creative background and coffee is the little thing that allows me and all these other creatives to come together. “Let’s meet at the cafe, have a beverage, get your creative juices flowing, and keep it rolling.” Working in cafes was also an easy way to meet people in the different cities I moved to. Coffee is the cheapest luxury, so everyone shows up.

What don’t you like about it:

Both: the asshole culture.

B: competitive masculine culture

What are your roles in the biz?

Both: we both do it all but

B: I source, gather the producers, do the main roasting, the media

S: I do production, packaging, and social media

What do you like more, pouring coffee or talking?!

S: talking is fun, but I know Bianka’s not gonna pour, so I do it. Pouring coffee has made me like talking more.

B: especially if I can get behind an espresso drink and make a little pillow for your lips with the most beautiful latte art!

How’d you come up with the name?

B: used to do coffee and communication in Venice Beach, the first C+C, which was like our little Tonight Show. It is the vibe we are trying to recreate now. Coffee is the conduit. All the other creative stuff is a layer of it.

S: Community, feeling good, the records, the beautiful coffee drinks. This is what we wanted to bring into what we do.

What would people be most surprised to learn about you?

B: We switch off being the DJ spinning vinyl for KWMR (kwmr.org) with a LOT of banter. We bring our own collection in.

Favorite music artist you’re playing this week, this year?

S: Rick James’ Love Gun from Fire It Up! There’s a lot going on the world right now, so rather than talk about it, we play soulful music that speaks to it. Sometimes it brings people to tears at our popups.

B: in the car, or different times of day, it depends on what I’m feeling! Right now it’s soul funk disco! Tata Vega came on today, “Heaven, it’s Earth Calling,” and she sings her little heart out.

What brings you joy?

S: bringing people joy brings me joy. It’s so simple. Hearing people’s coffee memories. Looking people in the eye.

B: maybe they don’t even drink coffee, so just giving them a smell of the fresh roasted beans. I love being creative! Cute Coffee is an endless vessel for this.

S: it’s a tv channel, it’s an art gallery, it’s a boutique. It’s a fashion magazine!

B: it’s not just us. Cute Coffee is many people.

Best way to keep up with Cute Coffee, see what records they’re spinning, beans they’re roasting, and where they’re popping up? Instagram: ilovecutecoffee You can also check out their website to order directly from them: Cute Coffee Shop