Written by Carlina Bjork

We’ve got a lot of Verve!

It was during a girl’s trip to Santa Cruz where Sho and I stumbled upon a Verve coffee shop on 41st Ave. We sat back and watched the bustling crowd and Verve staff while waiting for the barista to make our lattes.  Everyone seemed stoked to be there. The staff was super friendly and inclusive, looking up to say hello to customers coming in and chatting with other customers while steaming milk and putting together online orders. It was Maslow-esq how the staff appeared to be well taken care of. It looked like they were family or at minimum good friends of each other’s, hanging out in a professional and busy yet chill setting. Needs met for sure. They were happy to be there, and it showed.

The shop itself was clean with glass doors, ceiling to floor windows, white walls with a few bright geometric murals, and thriving plants. It was modern and filled with natural light. Customers were chatting with each other and brunching on avocado toast, grain bowls, and coconut chia pudding.  It was a whole vibe. You know that feeling when you’re somewhere, and it feels like it's supposed to be a secret?  It's that good?  Well, this is that place. Except they make you feel like you're supposed to be there, too.

Then our lattes came... they were SO GOOD. I got a hot oatmilk latte and I forget what kind Sho got, but we both were stoked. The espresso was top quality, and the steamed milk was like silk. They take this seriously! We came back the next day for more and took the opportunity to also grab a bag of the Buena Vista dark roast coffee for our Airbnb. The description on the bag: “Chocolate, Red Apple, Maple. Great with Cream and Sugar.”  We brewed a pot the next morning and yep, solid. 

When we got home, I emailed the general wholesale account off Verve’s website. I wanted to see how to go about getting their coffee, as we really wanted to sell it at our shop and online. The immediate answer was that we probably wouldn't meet their minimum quantity requirement. At this point, I got on the phone to plead (yes, I was that into their coffee and whole vibe; I wanted in). By miracle, it turns out the Head of Sales lives locally and knew of our brand. We scheduled a call. We talked shop and after the call, she let me know that she was excited to work with us.  She came by our store, seemed to fall in love with our whole vibe (we’re vibin’!), and now we carry Verve coffee! You’re welcome!

Stop by our shop to grab a can of chilled oatmilk latte, coffee beans, or a box of instant coffee. Speaking of, we tried the instant coffee- just as great as drip and perfect for on the go and/or van life. All is available on our website too.

P.S. Small world! Turns out that Baker Carrol, Head of RTD (Ready to Drink) at Verve is friends with some of our Team Riders down in Santa Cruz, too. We love how integrated the whole Santa Cruz surf community is. Good peeps for sure! Baker is an amazing photographer and surfer. Check him out on IG @bakercarrol