A team of business owners on the west side of SLC saw a ‘desert’ for coffee shops, so they’ve opened their own| Updated: 4:13 p.m.
The name of the shop reflects, Atencio said, the aim “to really highlight the diversity of Salt Lake City’s west side, and infuse the multicultural element everything, from aesthetic to menu to flavors.”A decal on the shop’s front window reads: “Grab a cup, catch a vibe, share some culture.” The shop’s logo features a familiar west side symbol — a rose — even though the shop is technically in Fairpark, not nearby Rose Park.
Also on the menu are such housemade, and vegan, flavors as the Cafe de Olla and a Peruvian chocolate flavor made locally byIt’s important, Atencio said, to put BIPOC origins and flavors in the menu. “It’s kind of funny to see how sterile coffee can be sometimes, and how even the core of a shop can be very Scandinavian and very stark,” he said. “ the bottom of it all, coffee is colonized and coffee is brown, when it comes to where it comes from and who is providing it.
The machine resembles the tail end of a red lowrider — including chrome-accented tail lights and a mini Utah license plate that reads “Culture.”As the shop gets going, Atencio said, they have plans to bring in food options from local minority-owned businesses, such asAtencio said people have been excited for the coffee shop to open, which he said has been “impressive.”