We know that some of the best ideas start over a cup of coffee. For BiankA and SabreeN, it started with a love for creativity, community, and a really good cup of joe. That passion turned into Cute Coffee—a specialty coffee roasting company that’s as vibrant and fun as the two friends behind it.
From transforming a warehouse into a creative coffee hub to roasting their own beans in a tiny Long Beach apartment, their journey has been anything but ordinary. Through all the twists and turns, one thing has remained the same: their mission to make great coffee more approachable, joyful, and, of course, cute. As BiankA and SabreeN love to say, "Keep it Cute, or Put it on Mute!"
In this interview, BiankA and SabreeN share how they met and got started, what fuels their creativity, and the advice they’d give to anyone chasing a big dream. Let’s dive in!
Coffee, Creativity, and Community: Interview with BiankA and SabreeN of Cute Coffee
How did the two of you meet and what inspired you to start a coffee brand together?
We met at a coffee shop in Venice Beach, California. Our love for creativity, accessible space for creativity, and that non-alcoholic beverage that brought people together is what inspired us to start a coffee brand together. We had a 3200 sq. ft warehouse that we turned into a creative community space with a store front and coffee bar. We were featuring our favorite roasters at the time and our own brand of coffee as well called SunnYSide UP. Our coffee was named after our space :)
Tell us more about Cute Coffee! How and where did it start? How has it evolved? Where do you see its future?
Cute Coffee started in a 600sq ft apartment in Long Beach, CA with the question of “Who doesn’t like cute things?” The Cute concept came to be after we closed our warehouse space SunnYSidE UP. It was bright, vibrant, colorful, positive, loving, and cute. It was a really cute space and project we did together. We had closed because we discovered the space was being illegally rented to us. We wanted to keep something going with all of our creative endeavors, passions, and adventures. We knew immediately it had to be coffee since a coffee project had also been brewing for years at this point and coffee was what brought us together. At SunnYSidE UP, Coffee was the vessel that brought us all together, even if someone did not drink coffee.
Running a business isn’t easy but you both make it look so fun — what’s one habit or routine that helps you stay grounded and positive through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship?
Whew! Running a business is definitely not easy! We keep it fun with having our creative self very involved in every part of Cute Coffee. The design, the music, the concepts, the modeling, the acting, the photography, the wardrobe, the set design, and all the creative friends we involve keep us fueled and grounded.
We both come from a background in modeling and acting so this plays a huge roll in Cute Coffee marketing. Then, I, BiankA have a background in music. So, majority of the music on our site and in our videos are songs that I made under my alias, Lillie Ruth Bussey. Another thing that has kept us positive through the ups and downs started last year when we started getting into doing radio shows. We now have two radio shows. One in our current local community in West Marin at KWMR.ORG and the other on the NPR & PBS affiliated station KRCB.ORG. Just look for CUTE RADIO! It’s a FUNKY GOOD TIME!
Do you remember the first time you made (or tasted) an amazing cup of coffee? What made it so special?
First time I, BiankA, tasted an amazing cup of coffee was in Philadelphia nearly 20 years ago. What made it so special was so many things. The shop was in a Downtown Philadelphia historical area in about a 200 square feet space with a couple bench seats that wrapped the arched windows that had orange awnings.
The woman who made my coffee with a straight face took such pride and joy in making me a delicious and beautiful cup of coffee. The extraction, milk temperature, and texture were always perfect. I went from being a customer who came every now and then to all the time because she always made the drink perfect! We later became coffee friends in the industry and we are still friends to this day 🙂
SabreeN~ The first time I tasted an amazing cup of coffee was at a craft fair in LA where I was participating as a vendor. It was my first cup of specialty coffee, a silky smooth cappuccino with a heart! The first latte art I had ever seen! It was so special, delicious, and the first time I did not want any sugar in my drink! The only thing I’d change was the sour attitude of the barista, but actually I wouldn’t because that’s what inspired this whole journey for me.
Once I linked with BiankA, who made my second most delicious drink I’ve ever had about 10 years ago now, I was passionate to learn more about coffee and eventually roast and share amazing coffee in the most fun, friendly and approachable manner possible! BiankA made me a Spanish Latte, a latte with sweetened condensed milk in it. Topped with beautiful, dainty latte art.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a woman just starting out in coffee — or just chasing a big dream?
BiankA~ To the woman just starting out in coffee. Drink more coffee, getting cappuccinos speak volumes to extraction and proper milk technique when you buy coffee out in the world. When you go to a new town or city, find the coffee where folks care to make it right. Keep asking questions, keep on learning, and watch yourself keep on growing in coffee.
BiankA~Just Chasing a big dream~ Well, it’s simple… DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE! YOU DREAM IT, YOU BELIEVE IT, YOU SURELY WILL ACHIEVE IT!
SabreeN~ To any woman just starting out in coffee or chasing a big dream, I would definitely say dream big and keep dreaming big on one side of your brain, and on the other side constantly be in the process of breaking it down into smaller steps, baby steps, almost like you’re working the dream in reverse. What do you need to be doing to get to the BIG dream? Of course not everything can be planned or go according to your plan, after all you have to leave room for miracles but there’s something you can be doing everyday to get closer to your goal. And the little baby steps help make it feel not so overwhelming, more doable, and ultimately achievable. But the big dreaming part is very important, like the fuel that keeps the engine running.
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Want to try Cute Coffee? Our coffee subscription brings carefully roasted beans from women owned specialty coffee roasters, like Cure Coffee, straight to your door, so you can sip, savor, and experience the magic they’ve created. Subscribe today and make your next cup a little more cute!
***All photos courtesy of Cute Coffee
