Entrepreneur and Bay Area native, Brianna Vasquez, has opened up a new coffee shop in her hometown, San Lorenzo. I sat down to talk to her about politics on the word "bruja" and what it means to her coffee shop, growing up in San Lorenzo, and her journey to getting her own shop opened.
"All of the things that are on my menu is our culture, it’s what we grew up with… I wanted our community to have something that we could relate to. A place we can go and say ‘Hey, Brewja has things I grew up with too.’"
Brewja Coffee's specialized menu is a nod to the latinx community filled with the culture's favorite recipe's with signature drinks such as the Horchata Iced Coffee and La Rosa Latte.
“I would walk everyday from school and I would help her do whatever she needed. I was there every single day.”
As a young teen, Brianna worked for free at her mother's bakery, Gala Bakery, helping her make it to what it is now--- a staple in the East Bay.
“A lot of my recipes are unique, I like to taste test and play with flavors.”
Brianna makes all of her syrups from scratch! Each drink is made with ingredients from local shops such as Oak Town Spice.
She's also working hard to becoming an eco-friendly coffee shop by enforcing her "jar back program" as well as providing compostable cups and reusable straws.
In this tell-all interview, Brianna talks putting in her last dime to getting the shop open, going through a break up, having a crazy opening day, her secret menu, and MORE!
Hear her amazing story on episode 10 of 'For The Record w/ Angelina' podcast. Available on the FREE iHeartRadio app and other platforms.