Today we’d like to introduce you to Caissen Soul And Ren Soul
Hi Caissen Soul and Ren Soul, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Soul Coffee, a mobile coffee cart founded by two individuals who fell in love over a cup of coffee! We understand how important coffee is to the soul, and are dedicated to providing not only the finest coffee we can but also a welcoming and inclusive community. As an Asian-owned and woman-run business, we take pride in our heritage and strive to highlight flavors that reflect it. We aim to create a space where individuals from the coffee industry who may not be as visible are given an opportunity to showcase their talents.
Caissen, who had experience in the coffee industry, and I, Ren, met in a cafe while I was working as a barista. Our connection blossomed, and soon we were engaged and planning our wedding. However, as life settled in, I decided to pursue a “real job” in banking. Despite the career shift, the passion for coffee remained strong. Eventually, the desire to prioritize happiness over misery led us to the idea of starting a coffee cart.
To our surprise, we were able to turn our dream into reality with the help of two IKEA carts, an espresso machine, and some high-quality specialty beans. We are currently in the process of solidifying our regular location, participating in markets and private events, and preparing to work to open our coffee trailer!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a mobile vendor has its own set of quirks and challenges. Just like other vendors, organization is super important. We currently have Soul Coffee working with a little Subaru Hatchback and a lot of trial and error playing a game of Tetris with the back of our car. Being a small business owner means your whole life becomes that business. There are no set hours in the day, one minute you could be cooking dinner, the next you’re working on a social media post or updating your Google Maps page. Creating a balance between everyday life, hobbies, and our other jobs outside of the cart can be tough (especially the having other jobs part), but it’s teaching us a daily routine and hard work is key to making our dream a reality!
Despite the challenges, the coffee side of things has been going great! We get to improve our craft and serve coffee the way we’ve always dreamed of!
We’ve been impressed with Soul Coffee, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re a full-service espresso bar that uses top-notch coffee from Night Swim Coffee in North Carolina. We serve a wide variety of espresso-based drinks, hot or cold, like lattes, cappuccinos, and americanos. We have new specials every month and try to highlight Filipino flavors like ube and pandan. What makes us different is our service. We take pride in knowing our customers and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. To us, it’s all about community. We’re also proud of our branding, especially our mascot Alma, a cute coffee steam ghost that can take shape into anything. When we’re not at markets or events (we’re looking for a regular market like the riverside arts market), we’re set up at Jax Beach in the parking lot of Sunnyside Dispensary, 1161 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250. We’re open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm. But we encourage you to follow us on Instagram @soulcoffeefl so you know if we have any off hours due to weather or have an event!
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The coffee industry as a whole in Jacksonville has blown up significantly in recent years. It creates a lot of room for collaboration and community which is something we strive on at Soul. Specifically for Soul we are looking forward to opening our coffee trailer (which will hopefully begin build out within the next few months) and with a 5 year plan for an eventual brick and mortar cafe! More and more people are becoming interested in coffee and it’s an exciting time, people want to know more about what they’re drinking and getting more in depth perspectives on quality driven coffee. This is opening a lot of room for workshop opportunities as well as community driven events such as throwdowns (latte art competitions for baristas to showcase their talent and improvement)! More and more specialty cafes are opening around Jacksonville and it’s an exciting time!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulcoffeefl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569321970200
