Chrome Coffee

Moriah Mesina has always been exposed to a love and appreciation for coffee, beginning with fond memories of family gatherings ending with cake and coffee courtesy of her grandmother or her grandfather who lived in Italy making everyone cappuccinos. “My family always focused on coffee,” said Moriah. “We were always surrounded by it. Coffee brings people together. It’s the first thing you do together in the morning, and a lot of times at family events, it was the last thing we did together.” When Moriah went off to college, she was able to learn about the specialty side of the coffee industry and what truly makes a great cup of coffee, along with farming and ethically sourcing beans. Then when 2020 hit, there was a huge uprising in the coffee industry regarding the treatment of employees, revealing the negative side of an assumingly happy place to be. “I wanted to change the way that some people view coffee from both an employee and customer standpoint,” said Moriah. “I wanted to contribute in a better way.”

 

              

So, when Moriah lost her job because of the pandemic, she knew it was time to take a major leap of faith. She moved back to Brentwood, started saving money, and humbly began with a simple coffee cart at a pop-up event in November 2020. “My initial plan was to convert a vintage chrome trailer into a coffee trailer,” said Moriah. “That’s where the name Chrome Coffee came from; however, the size of the trailer did not meet health requirements, so I had to pivot and start with a cart doing micro weddings and pop-up events throughout COVID.” Moriah partnered with her brother, who owns Delta Coffee Roasters, to bring delicious coffee variations to the events, and after some success, Moriah knew it was time to tackle the trailer idea one more time. “I had the opportunity to check out my current trailer, which was such a blessing, and we brought it home January 29, 2021 with my first official open day on March 12.”

 

 

Chrome Coffee is not your average food truck. Moriah puts in hours of work sourcing everything to guarantee that customers enjoy their beverage. “Coffee is very subjective,” said Moriah. “Someone can love their Starbucks, and another person can love the fancy coffee from a shop in San Francisco. I try to be somewhere in between. People can still enjoy their fun, seasonal flavors but with the quality that would be served at a café.” As a Latina business owner, Moriah loves drawing inspiration from her heritage for drink ideas, as well as working with other local businesses, both women and Latina-owned, to offer a variety of goods on her trailer. “I want to showcase them. The more we work together, the better we all thrive.” Moriah has worked with a handful of other vendors such as Flour and Butter who makes delicious conchas of a variety of flavors, Tasha’s Cookie Co., Cravings and Cookies, Angie’s Kitchen Addiction, and more. She also parks at local parks regularly and partners with local brick and mortars like Crystal Bowl Wellness and The Family Room to provide Brentwood residents the opportunity to find her seafoam green beacon of caffeination.

 

 

With an overwhelmingly successful first year, Moriah received a new opportunity to expand. “A brick and mortar was never part of our original plans,” said Moriah. “It’s expensive to open a coffee shop, especially if you do it right.” However, after a busy 2021 summer, pop up events began to dwindle and the slow food truck season was approaching. So, Moriah began just searching out of curiosity to see if any spots were even available close by. “I searched for a while, and then our 625 West 4^th Street location in Antioch became available. It was the perfect size to be able to keep things simple with just pastries and coffee.” Moriah signed her lease in January 2022 and was finally able to open her doors on June 25. “It really has worked out well for us.”

              

What more could this successful Brentwood native hope for? Moriah still holds out hope to have a flagship shop in town. “I was born and raised in Brentwood and would love to have a shop in town, especially downtown. This is home,” said Moriah. “I would love to do a coffee shop and semi café with a limited menu. I’m always checking my options and am open to whatever the Lord is calling me to do.”