While Trixie Jose had long dreamed of creating a safe space for people to gather and enjoy Filipino food and drinks, the turning point in her entrepreneurial journey was when her now-husband Matthew Reyes took her on a birthday trip to Washington in 2019. The couple, who were both raised in New Jersey, was inspired by the large and tight-knit Filipino community in Seattle, where they discovered a thriving Filipino coffee shop. The couple’s idea to start a coffee shop in the Garden State was further fueled in 2020 when Jose’s grandmother was diagnosed with COVID-19 and placed on a ventilator.