Why Another Coffee Shop is Needed

This vision for Nirvana Soul has been a long time in the making. For over 10 years, we have dreamed of creating a space that feeds our souls and makes people happy — a place of peace and restoration and inspiration. We’re so excited to share this with you.

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There is nothing more valuable than our time, and everyone and everything is competing for it. We all desire community, but unfortunately, we’re seeing increases in loneliness and isolation instead. It seems we’re constantly hustling and comparing, and sometimes even fighting, just to get by.

And the results of that loneliness are clear. 40% of Americans lack companionship and meaningful relationships. 54% of the same group feels like no one knows them well. These stats aren’t the worst of it. All over the world, people are struggling with drug abuse, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.

Yet, even with all those scary things, there are some companies that have seemed to crack the code for bringing people together.

Like the famous Museum of Ice Cream, for example. They built an entire experience around fun and togetherness through brightly colored, photo-ready exhibitions.

Rapha similarly understands the power of values-based community. I was introduced to the cycling company while in London, and when I asked them what they do, they answered with what they believe.

Then there’s Glossier, the unicorn. Before they even opened a physical store, they already had a serious fan club online. I visited their New York location and felt like I was waiting in line to get into a nightclub! There was seriously a bouncer outside.

Outdoor Voices is another brand that’s onto something. They push their loyal followers to engage more fully in life by using the hashtag: #DoingThings.

And I’m sure we all know WeWork. WeWork, and co-working spaces like it that are popping up everywhere, have capitalized on people’s desire to work remotely, but together.

Even tech companies are starting to recognize their role in people’s growing addiction to devices. I actually look forward to my screen time report each week. It’s not great.

The point is: we don’t just desire community, we need it. Communal experiences sustain our joy, inspire our creativity, bring us peace, nurture our wellbeing, and improve our health.

We don’t just desire community, we need it.

We’d like to introduce you to Nirvana Soul.

Nirvana Soul is the embodiment of our joy. It’s a soulful, creative, and inspiring experience that brings exciting flavor to San Jose. It’s where people go for connection, culture, and peace.

We’re Jeronica and Be’Anka. (Known sometimes by our celebrity couple name #jeranka.) We’re sisters, bffs, and co-founders. And since we were little girls, coffee has held a special, calming place in our hearts.

Back in the day, our great grandmother would treat us to her leftover coffee every morning we spent growing up with her. She’d drink her cup of Folgers leaving us just enough to fill it back up with water, add way too much sugar, and drink it all together. This was our ritual. Just an old lady and three kids having the sweetest, watered down cup of coffee to start our day. It was perfect. Probably a little inappropriate in retrospect. But still one of the fondest memories we share as siblings.

Our upbringing has played a huge role in how we live our lives today. We are driven by these core values: kindness, inspiration, accountability, trust, and customer-centricity. All of this combines to what we define as #selfcareinacup

So here’s what we’re envisioning. Nirvana Soul is a spiritual retreat, a place to escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Jeronica and I have a special and unique bond as sisters and best friends. We want people to feel that joy as soon as they walk through the door. The decor will be eclectic, warm, vibrant, and inviting. It’ll be full of creative expression from art to music that will inspire the artist in us all.

Having been fortunate to travel across the country trying different coffees, it’s important to Jeronica that we bring those flavors back home to San Jose so coffee lovers of all levels can experience them.

And finally, we’re so excited to do this in the city we love. San Jose is home. We look forward to contributing to the colorful culture already here, while carving out a unique space for people of color.

Ugh! But do we really need another coffee spot, you ask. Here’s a look at the coffee landscape right now.

There are a few second and third wave shops throughout downtown San Jose. Then there are newer specialty coffee shops and roasters, as well as more well-known shops like the Philz and Starbucks of the world.

That’s a lot of coffee, right? We agree. And we love it!

Our mission is to bring people together through the power of coffee, and our shop has no monopoly on that. So instead of competing with every shop out there, we’re focused on delivering value for own customers. If iron sharpens iron, every coffee drinker will be guaranteed the best possible experience, making San Jose one of the most exceptional places to indulge. That’s a win-win for everybody.

And if we must show receipts, Jeronica has been in the coffee game for nearly two decades as a barista, manager, and consultant. She knows her shit. And I’m not just a marketer. I’m a methodical, systematic, demand generation marketer who knows a thing or two about successful retail. Our combined experience of coffee and marketing operations is just as much a unique value as our sisterhood itself.

Why are we telling you all of this? That’s a good question.

Starting and running a brand new business is full of mystery already. Add being young, black women with no idea how to make this happen to the mix, and we’re really just putting one step in front of the other often while blindfolded.

We’d like to share our journey with you. The highs, lows, and everything in between that we’re learning as we go. We know the only difference between successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs is successful entrepreneurs didn’t give up.

So you can count on that: Jeranka not giving up. We’re going to see this thing through, and we hope you’ll hang in there with us. Let’s do this thing.

Jeronica & Be’Anka

Please follow us on our social channels too! Here we are on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.