Wood Coffee gets ready for a soft launch

LONG BEACH, Ca – Nolan Wood is a member of the Queer community and is the owner of Wood Coffee, a new plant-based coffee shop opening soon on 2728 E.10th St. in Long Beach.

Wood remembers “pouring milk and sugar into the coffee my grandmother made for me (that I’m almost certain was decaf) until it no longer tasted like coffee,” according to the about me section on Wood Coffee’s website. 

After a few years, Wood got a job at a local coffee shop where he fell more in love with coffee and the community it brought together.

For thirteen years Wood had the idea to make the coffee shop that he wished he had when he was growing up. 

In Woods’s opinion, the coffee world supports more of a “heteronormative culture” and he plans to have a space where all are represented.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a pause to Wood’s dream but it gave him more time to find the right space and evaluate the mission behind the shop. Wood doesn’t just want to label his shop with buzzwords, he wants to actually help create the space in the community by being at his shop daily.

Wood Coffee will be supplied with coffee from a women-owned coffee company and will serve pastries from a local vegan bakery that originated as a mother-daughter duo.

Wood is trying to create a healthy space where like-minded individuals can meet, and also where people may be introduced to plant-based alternatives for their coffee and pastry needs.

They did face some hardships acquiring material for construction, and working with the city to obtain permits was slow-going due to the pandemic. 

Wood Coffee plans to have a soft-opening to let traffic flow in naturally by simply opening its doors to the community.

The coffee shop is spacious inside and has plenty of room for enjoying coffee, catching up with friends, reading, or getting some work done.

Wood Coffee is a plant-based Queer-owned coffee shop that will introduce coffee drinkers to a place where they can all come together and be a vibrant part of the neighborhood.

By Joshua Villas