The seed for Nixie’s Coffee was planted long before Nixie Espinal and Rafael Diaz met on a dance floor in their hometown of NYC. It started in the carefree summers of Nixie’s youth visiting her grandmother in the Dominican Republic where she would help with the coffee crop. Nixie learned first hand how the sweet, scented flowers of the coffee plants yielded the tiny little beans that grew into a green berry before turning cherry red and then maroon. After hand picking the ripe beans, her grandmother would place them in water where the good ones floated to the top. The good beans were spread out to dry in the sun in preparation for the roasting. Nixie loved immersing herself in the sweet aroma as the coffee beans were roasted in an iron pot over an open fire.
Rafael grew up in a large loving family that cherished coffee as the beverage of choice for family gatherings. Soon after the momentous dance with Nixie, Rafael invested in a commercial coffee machine business that specialized in delivering on-demand, freshly ground coffee by the cup. These machines required high-quality beans to showcase their brewing capabilities. The beans were so flavorful that business really took off. Seeking funding to meet the demand for their machines and coffee, Rafael and his partner applied to Shark Tank and made it to the second round. Unable to obtain the funding needed to grow, they eventually closed the business and went their separate ways.
Rafael found a new business partner when he and Nixie pledged their love and lives together in marriage. Their entrepreneurial spirits and love of the amazing coffee that was developed for the coffee brewing machine, led them on a journey to bring that incredible taste experience to coffee lovers everywhere. The first cup of Nixie’s Coffee was served on February 1, 2018 and a community of lovers for this exquisite coffee was born. Nixie’s and Rafael’s love for each other, their customers, and coffee continues to grow with each cup. Come join us for a cup of amazing coffee and stay for the friendship.
