Brewing Community: Women Leading Independent Coffee Shops
This International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting the women who keep the coffee shop industry running – not just behind the counter, but at the helm.
Across the country, some cafes double as community anchors, creative studios, and neighborhood gathering spaces. The women you’ll read about below are the driving forces behind these coffee shops, operating in an industry that demands equal parts grit and grace. At Dripos, we have the privilege of working alongside many of these operators every day, consistently awed by their redefinition of leadership in the coffee world. Read on to hear more about these community-builders and coffee-drinkers.
Amy Polk & Rachel Sweat
Co-owners of Hometown Grounds Coffee Co. - Starke, FL
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Facebook
How did Hometown Grounds come to be?
Hometown Grounds was founded with a simple but powerful vision: create a space where coffee brings people together. Their inspiration began in the mountains of Honduras, where serving alongside local communities deepened their love for coffee and the connections it creates. That experience, combined with their roots in large, multi-generational family gatherings, shaped their desire to build more than a coffee shop – they wanted to build a place that felt like home.
From the beginning, Hometown Grounds was designed to be a welcoming hub for all ages and backgrounds. Amy Polk and Rachel Sweat are passionate about supporting local vendors, hosting community events, and creating opportunities for people to gather, collaborate, and celebrate life together.
At the heart of their mission is the belief that a simple cup of coffee can spark a meaningful connection. Through initiatives like their “Pay It Forward” program and ongoing community involvement, they strive to make a lasting impact.
In their own words:
We are Amy & Rachel, and we own Hometown Grounds Coffee Co. in the small town of Starke, FL. Each morning, we unlock the doors to shine the light of Jesus each day!
Owning a business is rarely tidy. It’s early mornings and late nights, quiet doubts and loud dreams. It’s learning how to lead while still learning yourself. And for us, it’s also family because we are a step-mom & daughter duo!
That detail surprises people. They expect friction, or an asterisk next to the word partnership. What they don’t see is the strength that comes from blending generations, perspectives, and stories. She brings wisdom earned through years of living boldly. I bring fresh ideas, energy, and a deep belief in what’s possible. Somewhere between her steadiness and my spark, we built something that belongs not just to us, but to our town.
In a small community, your business becomes a reflection of who you are. We’ve celebrated wins at the counter and weathered hard days behind it. We’ve learned how to disagree with respect, how to listen with humility, and how to lead with heart. Together, we’ve shown that women don’t have to choose between family and ambition when we can redefine both.
On International Women’s Day, our story is simple: when women support each other, especially across generations, powerful things grow. Sometimes it looks like a storefront on a quiet street. Sometimes it looks like a stepmom and a stepdaughter standing side by side, proving that partnership, like purpose, can be built on trust, love, and a shared dream.
Kady Yager & Kerry Gardner
Co-owners of Two Friends Coffee Co - Dover, DE
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A bit more about Two Friends Coffee Co.:
Two Friends Coffee Co. was built from friendship, resilience, and a dream that carried Kady Yager and Kerry Gardner through some of the hardest years of their lives.
Before they ever owned a coffee trailer, the two were nurses working on the frontlines during COVID. They experienced long shifts, emotional exhaustion, uncertainty, and the weight of caring for others during a time when the world felt incredibly heavy. Coffee was more than a drink for Yager and Gardner. It was the pause between chaos, the deep breath before the next patient, the small comfort in the middle of everything.
After that season ended, the duo felt called to build something that brought light and connection back into their lives and community.
What started as two friends sitting in a coffee shop talking about “what if” slowly turned into a real plan. Once the world began to reopen, they took the leap and restored a vintage Scotty camper, creating Two Friends Coffee Co. from the ground up. The two built it while balancing motherhood, nursing, and family life, learning permits, inspections, budgeting, branding, and espresso along the way.
What makes the story special is that this business was born out of service and sisterhood. Yager and Gardner have always cared for people, first in scrubs and now behind an espresso machine. They show up for our community with that same heart and intention, wanting to create moments of comfort, joy, and connection.
Two Friends Coffee Co. is not just about coffee. It is about resilience, friendship, and two women who chose to build something beautiful after walking through something hard.
What makes their story special:
Two Friends Coffee Co.’s story reflects resilience, friendship, and service. As nurses who worked on the frontlines during COVID, Yager and Gardner experienced firsthand how powerful small moments of comfort and connection can be. After that season, they chose to build something that poured back into our community. The coffee trailer is more than a business; it represents courage after burnout, women supporting women, and a continued commitment to caring for people, just in a different way.
Barythaya Lunsford
Owner of XO Coffee Shop - Kissimmee, FL
Website
Instagram
More about XO Coffee Shop:
XO Coffee Shop started as Barythaya Lunsford’s dream café. She opened XO Coffee Shop in Kissimmee because third spaces were dying and especially in the area.
As the café grew, she struggled to balance it with her work as a tattoo artist. Instead of stepping away from tattooing, she brought it into the space. After approvals and buildout, XO Tattoo opened within the café. Both operate separately but share the same mission: creativity, inclusivity, craftsmanship, and making people feel comfortable exploring art and self-expression
What makes her story special:
Lunsford built something truly unique with XO Coffee & Tattoo, Central Florida’s first coffee and tattoo concept. She’s a tattoo artist who always dreamed of opening a café, and instead of choosing one path, she merged both into one creative space.
What makes it special is the intention behind it. XO uses locally roasted beans from its partners at Credo and focuses on thoughtfully crafted drinks made with housemade syrups. At the same time, the space makes tattooing feel approachable and welcoming. As a woman founder leading in two creative industries, she’s created a brand rooted in art, hospitality, and community.
In her own words:
I find so much beauty in working with my team for something that is so small and personal, yet somehow also has such a big impact on those around us. It is something I truly love about small business – how intimate it can be. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone here, and the faith they have in me is both intimidating and heartwarming to me. In the beginning, it felt like it was just me with a vision, then suddenly there were two people, then four, now ten. I’m surrounded by people who love XO, and it’s an amazing feeling.
Running a coffee shop comes with a lot of challenges for anyone. It is a demanding industry with long hours, constant problem-solving, and a lot of responsibility toward the people who work with you and the community you serve. As a woman in leadership, that experience can sometimes come with additional pressures, but it has also motivated me to stay confident in my vision and lead with intention. I have always tried to build XO as a place where creativity, collaboration, and mutual respect remain the focus of what we do.
Khanh Trang
Owner of Greater Goods Coffee - Dripping Springs, TX
Website
Instagram
What’s the backstory?
Khanh Trang wanted to do specialty coffee in a way that was more intentional: choosing coffees thoughtfully, building meaningful relationships with farmers and partners, and using the business as a platform to support communities. That purpose-first mindset shaped the company from the beginning – making coffee that tastes great and contributes to something bigger.
Why are you submitting?
Trang didn’t just start a coffee business, she started one because she loves coffee deeply and believes it can bring people together. Her passion goes beyond brewing beans. She cares about the journey of coffee from farm to cup and how it connects communities.
Natalia Iakovleva
Owner of Chef Sergey’s Bakery - Midland, MI
Website
Instagram
Some backstory on Chef Sergey’s Bakery
The shop started as a personal mission to bring healthy bread and a true coffee experience to a small city where people know the quality of life but don’t have quality choices in food. Because of community support, the bakery was built and is now honored by so many Midlanders.
In her own words:
Sergey’s Bakery started as a dream to bring real European baking to Midland. We wanted to create a space that feels like home for us and for many Europeans who settled in Midland – people who remember their Polish and German roots and carry nostalgia for their grandmother’s bread.
For me, it was important to achieve truly authentic bread and pair it with an excellent, international-level cup of coffee, where aroma and texture speak for themselves.
Running a coffee shop as a woman, I often feel like a mom, a sister, and a friend to my team, and in some way to many of our customers. This creates a strong, energetic connection. It feels like we are one big family gathering for one reason: to exchange care through a cup of coffee, a loaf of bread, and warm hugs.
That might sound like any other coffee shop, but this is my first coffee project in the United States, which makes it very special to me and challenging. Fully from scratch, each step. And I think this is exactly what the coffee world in Michigan needs – open mind, detail-oriented, hand-made, from-scratch approach, with “mother” style, with care to people, product, and atmosphere.
Mallory Root
Owner of Roots Brew Shop - Grand Rapids, M
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Instagram
About Roots Brew Shop:
Roots Brew Shop was born a decade ago from a desire to transform the transactional culture into a relational one. The world is so product-driven that it’s hard to see authentic relationships through the transactional fog. What better way to bring people together than through delicious coffee, tasty bagels, and killer waffles? And so it started, the work of building a place around hospitality and coffee. Building a place and a community where we are reminded that we are people deserving of dignity. Roots launched this vision with help from a microloan from GROW (Grand Rapids Opportunity for Women) and many helping hands from family and friends. Roots Brew Shop opened its doors in February of 2016 and has been doing the work of cultivating culture ever since.
Roots on being a woman leader in the coffee industry:
As a woman, I have an innate passion for creating beautiful, welcoming spaces for people to gather and encounter one another. Roots Brew Shop flows naturally from that passion. Running Roots necessitates cultivating community. (Good thing I like to chat!) It also requires creative problem-solving skills (I like puzzles), meeting people where they're at (people are the best part of the job), courage to try new things (we've thrown a good dance party or two), and perseverance (2020, anyone?). It's a joy and an honor to serve my community through coffee and place. I hope others choose courage and take up the challenge to do the same.
Allie Jones
Owner of Salty Sea Coffee - Whidbey Island, WA
Website
Instagram
The background on Salty Sea Coffee:
When Allie Jones moved to Whidbey Island, she was just out of grad school. She wanted to be close to family, but no longer felt aligned with the pace of city life. Whidbey felt different — peaceful, almost otherworldly. Slower mornings. Water in every direction. A strong pull toward small, locally owned businesses. It felt like a place where she could build something meaningful.
Coffee wasn’t some long-mapped-out plan for her. Jones actually stumbled into it while sitting in the ferry line. There was a small handwritten “for sale” note taped to an old menu board on a coffee stand. Out of curiosity more than strategy, she called the number.
That call started a series of conversations and a decision-making process that Jones still laughs about today. She played what she calls the “red light, green light” game. Every time Jones hit an obstacle — permitting, financing, logistics — she asked herself, “Is this a red light telling us to stop? Or is it a green light telling us to keep going?” One by one, the lights kept turning green.
So she went all in.
Jones took out a second mortgage on her home to get started. There’s nothing quite as motivating as knowing failure isn’t really an option. In the beginning, it was just Sterling (her husband) and her — working 14-hour days, six days a week, with the seventh spent restocking and preparing to do it all over again. They were figuring everything out in real time. The two didn’t know what it would become or how far it would go.
The water has always been part of Jones’ story — not because she was sitting peacefully reflecting (she was anything but calm in those early days.. even still), but because it’s woven into her life here. The name Salty Sea actually comes from Jones’ grandfather’s boat, which makes it deeply personal. It represents legacy, risk, and adventure — all things that shaped the beginning of this business.
Over time, what began as a small stand grew into something far more structured and intentional. They refined their systems, strengthened the branding, and built a team that shares her values. What hasn’t changed is the heartbeat behind it — building something rooted, thoughtful, and connected to this place.
Now, as she prepares to open their fourth location, it’s surreal to think it all started with a tiny sign on a menu board while waiting in a ferry line. Sometimes the best things don’t come from a five-year plan — they come from paying attention when the light turns green.
In her own words:
Running Salty Sea Coffee has been one of the most complex and rewarding experiences of my life. As we prepare to open our fourth location on Whidbey Island, I’ve seen firsthand how much leadership is about resilience, clarity, and building something bigger than yourself.
As a woman in the coffee industry, I’ve learned to lead with both strength and empathy. Coffee is operationally intense — early mornings, tight margins, constant movement — and it requires confidence in decision-making, financial stewardship, and long-term vision. At the same time, I believe some of our greatest strengths as women in business are collaboration, mentorship, and the ability to cultivate a strong team culture.
Our team is almost entirely women (with Sterling, partner & husband, proudly holding his own), and that dynamic has shaped who we are. One of the most meaningful parts of running Salty Sea Coffee is creating an environment where young women can see how a business is truly run and operated — from systems and inventory to leadership, customer experience, and growth strategy. We prioritize giving our team opportunities to take on responsibility, develop confidence, and step into leadership roles within the company.
For many of our baristas, this is their first job. We don’t just want it to be a place they clock in — we want it to be a place where they learn, grow, and realize they’re capable of more than they thought. Watching them step into management, contribute creatively to seasonal menus, and take ownership of the shop has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.
This role in leadership, to me, isn’t about hierarchy — it’s about stewardship. It’s about building something sustainable that supports families (ours included), creates opportunity, and contributes positively to the community we call home.
Mack Young & Amber Gonzalez
Founders of Lone Man Coffee - Austin, TX
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Instagram
How Lone Man Coffee found its roots:
The story of Lone Man Coffee started more than a decade ago, when Mack and Amber first met in college. At the time, Amber was already roasting coffee for a company, and Mack had an immediate instinct that their paths would cross again professionally. “Oh, we’re going to work together one day,” she remembers thinking.
After graduation, their lives took very different directions. Mack spent most of her twenties living overseas and working in the corporate world, while Amber pursued an undergraduate degree in coffee agriculture and even spent time leading cycling tours across the United States. Years later, the two reconnected through Instagram after Mack moved back to the States, and the idea of building something together began to take shape.
The name Lone Man Coffee is a nod to Lone Man Road in Texas, where Mack grew up. Both founders share deep Texas roots and a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality—tempered by the broader perspectives they gained through travel. From the beginning, they knew the business would be grounded not just in great coffee, but in inclusivity and community.
More on being women in the coffee industry:
For Mack and Amber, building Lone Man Coffee has been shaped by an ongoing pattern: nearly every major opportunity came through the support of another woman.
Their first pop-up happened thanks to Sam Garbo, a restaurant owner who offered them space to get started. Later, a manager from Saba connected them with an opportunity during South by Southwest.
“Every single opportunity we’ve had has come from a woman,” Mack says.
The partnership between Mack and Amber reflects that same spirit of support. Built on more than a decade of friendship, their dynamic balances big-picture thinking with hands-on execution. Mack tends to focus on strategy and growth, while Amber, who even retrofitted their coffee trailer herself, handles the technical and detail-oriented side of the operation.
They’ve also noticed a broader shift happening in the industry. Coffee carts and mobile concepts are on the rise, and many of them are women-owned. In a city like Austin, where women-owned coffee businesses are still relatively rare, they see that momentum as both meaningful and encouraging.
Stephanie Delmore
Owner of Java Dream - Penn Valley, CA
Website
Instagram
About Java Dream:
Tucked into the foothills of Northern California, Java Dream Coffee Roasters in Penn Valley is the kind of café that invites you to linger. The shop pairs fair-trade organic coffee with a thoughtful menu of house-made pastries, hearty brunch plates, and scratch-made sandwiches, all served in a warm, laid-back setting. Equal parts neighborhood hangout and morning ritual stop, Java Dream has become a go-to gathering place for locals looking to slow down over a well-pulled espresso or a leisurely weekend breakfast.
On being a woman in coffee:
Owning and operating Java Dream has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. Java Dream was built on the belief that coffee shops are anchors for the community. They are where mornings begin, ideas are born, friendships deepen, and hard days soften. From the beginning, I wanted Java Dream to feel intentional and become a third space for our community. I have watched so many young people start their first job at Java Dream and many who have moved on to college and adulthood. As a mother, it feels like these are all my kids. I’m so proud to have been a part of their journey and hope that they have taken some lessons that I shared.
As a woman in the coffee world, I’ve learned that leadership doesn’t have to be loud to be strong. I lead with intuition, empathy, and high standards. Those standards stem from my 24 years in the Air Force, where quality in your work is a must. What I didn’t learn until later, is that there is a unique balance in this industry between hospitality and business discipline. I’ve worked hard to build a culture that values both.
There are definitely moments where you must advocate for yourself, negotiate firmly, and make tough financial decisions, especially in an industry with tight margins. I’ve found that authenticity is my greatest asset. I don’t try to lead like anyone else. I lead like me. I am open and honest with my customers and my team.
What began as one shop grew into something much bigger. As we enter our 7th year in business (WOW!) we’ve expanded, refined our brand, built our own roasting program, and developed signature drinks that reflect who we are. Every step has been a mix of risk, faith, grit, and community support. I make most of my decisions with my team. They play a vital role in how we move forward, their buy-in makes the most difference. Especially as we continue to build our brand and make customer service our main priority. I am thankful for my community support, my amazing family, and the Java Dream Team.
Get your shop's story told
As Dripos continues to celebrate women in coffee, we know that every day is a true celebration of the leaders in our industry and not just a holiday. We look forward to spotlighting more stories of shops throughout the year – if you’re interested in being featured, reach out to our Director of Brand & Creative at danielle.grinberg@dripos.com.
