CoffeeDrunk might have been cursed by falling into the “Birthed in the Pandemic” category, but owners Matthew and Breezy Church do not see it as anything but a silver lining. Now hosting three Long Beach shops—with a fourth on the way in Phoenix (yes, in Arizona)—CoffeeDrunk’s ability to brand itself well, fit into niche neighborhoods, and expand is something every ambitious small business owner could look toward as inspiration.
CoffeeDrunk—through thick and thin—developed thanks to a Long Beach coffee veteran and her engineering husband.
Moving from Washington to Long Beach, Breezy brought with her an influence from one of the most caffeinated states to our city. And she did so first by being a barista at the Peet’s in Belmont Shore that closed in 2019. Her first encounter with Matt was, well, somewhat awkward. Noticing her bright pink hair and “Breezy” name tag—while her birthname is Breanna, her grandmother’s nickname of “Breezy” has been with her since infancy—Matt admitted he was “being a guy.
“She looked at me like I was the devil. ‘That is absolutely my name.,'” Matt recounted. And though his weak attempt at flirting with the woman who made the best coffee—he followed her from Peets to Aroma di Roma when it was at its original location where Liv’s now sits with its Our Spot coffee popup—only to follow her when Aroma took over the other Starbucks that used to be on the west end of the Shore…
“Ten years ago, we ended up at the same spot in our lives and got married,” Matt said. “Like. Quickly. After our daughter was born, she wanted to return to work and expressed some interest in her own coffee shop. Being in construction, I am an engineer by trade in construction who does mechanical systems and stuff like that… And I thought, ‘How hard can that be?'”
CoffeeDrunk signed a lease in June of 2019 and COVID hit mid-construction. Their contractor disappeared mid-construction. They hadn’t yet built a patronage. Over eight months in, things were looking grim. Of course, hindsight being what it is, all wasn’t lost.
CoffeeDrunk walks the walk—something reflected in nearly every deeply loved coffee shop in Long Beach.
Walking in like the TikTok trend, Matt carried two massive tubs of ube concentration—more on that in a bit—while walking into his crowded store on 4th Street. And, pretty much since opening, this has been the experience. It marks a distinct difference from its first days. COVID proved difficult; CoffeeDrunk could only serve two people at a time upon (finally) opening in December of 2020. From a financial perspective? Disastrous. From a honing perspective? Wondrous.
“Breezy was able to develop the flow at a very slow pace with our initial employees,” Matt said. “They were able to figure out what worked, what didn’t work—all at a manageable pace.”
Taking the silver lining that was everyone’s patience at the time, CoffeeDrunk developed drinks that have defined it. Seasonal drinks like their famed blueberry-meets-iced espresso BBS latte (which also comes with matcha; neither disappoints). Year-round staples like their maple-brown sugar concoction dubbed “The Instigator.” And partnerships—probably their most important endeavor.
Collaboration has always been an essential part of their model—and it’s proving successful.
Gemmae Bake Shop, a cornerstone of West Long Beach’s Filipino community, was founded by Prescilla Tolentino in 1993 after she emigrated from the Philippines. The bakery quickly became renowned for its traditional Filipino baked goods. Ube loaves. Ensaymadas. Pandesals. Mamons. Today, Gemmae continues to thrive under the leadership of Prescilla’s daughter, Catherine, who has embraced her mother’s legacy while infusing contemporary twists into traditional Filipino cuisine.
And yes, that means collaborations. Be it her sisig collaboration with Speak Cheezy or her collaboration with yours truly for a re-take on bibingka, Catherine has always been one for community, connection, and collabs.
“I was really excited when CoffeeDrunk reached out about a collaboration for AANHPI Month,” Catherine said. “Matt and Breezy recognized how meaningful ube is in Filipino culture and were thoughtful about getting the flavors just right. I was happy to be part of the process and appreciated their commitment to creating something that truly represents ube.”
It is but the most recent of many collaborations the coffee shop has tackled: From working with Alice Mushrooms on a “The Last of Us” mushroom drink to a popup at Got Your Back, CoffeeDrunk gets local collaborations right.
Expanding Long Beach culture beyond Long Beach, CoffeeDrunk wants to be more than, well, just a coffee shop.
Bar hopping had never been a thing of the Church’s culture—but coffee hopping? Yes, much more up their alley, hence the name. And they are now working on, well, hopping around to other cities for their brand, working on the space’s fourth location. In Phoenix. Yeah, the one in Arizona. And Matt couldn’t be more proud. Not because he is some blind-eyed raging capitalist but because he gets to introduce an entire new audience to the world of Long Beach culture.
“We were always by what the Ace Hotel used to be,” Matt said. “Yes, multiple locations. But each one felt distinct while also simultaneously feeling very Ace. Every one was different. They had different vibes. Ace connected with the local community. They had shows. It was this incredibly local experience. But when you walked in? Branding was consistent. Interface with the customer was the same. You knew exactly what to expect.”
In other words: front-facing, CoffeeDrunk needs to be distinct. And on the backend, it needs to be streamlined. It reflects a larger shift in Long Beach hospitality. “One of our favorite things is a rising tide,” Matt said. “We fundamentally believe that if everyone else around us is doing better, we are doing better.”
And this extends to their operations in Phoenix: If they can promote Long Beach as this entity which is well beyond those who falsely claim it as their own—Orange County—and those who clump it into their own—Los Angeles—then we all win.
CoffeeDrunk has three locations: 2701 E. 4th St. | 913 E. Wardlow Rd. | 4374 Atlantic Ave
