Shadi Khattab Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Brewed for Success MOBILE COFFEE COMPANY GIVES BACK
O
nit Coffee’s motto is “Impacting lives one cup at a time.” Founder and owner
JL By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
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ILP/GRID MAY n 21
Shadi Khattab chose the phrase for his business—Sacramento’s first mobile gourmet coffee truck—as a homage to his partnerships with nonprofits and coffee’s integral role in his Middle Eastern upbringing. “In my culture, we’re very big on quality tea and coffee,” says Khattab, who emigrated from Syria at age 5 with his family so his father could pursue medical studies. “Family and friends sit down together and bond over a cup of coffee. It’s a very big cultural thing for me, so I thought, why not bring aspects
of my culture into the business I want to create?” Khattab has always been entrepreneurial. Growing up, his family didn’t have much, so he would find unique ways to make money—flipping shoes, selling things on Craigslist—to buy himself toys or games. His affinity for business led him to pursue a degree in entrepreneurship at Sacramento State, where his final project before graduating four years ago set the stage for his future brand. “I’ve always loved the way they do business at Dutch Bros Coffee,”
says Khattab, who runs Onit while managing marketing at his father’s Elk Grove medical practice, Precision M.D. Cosmetic Surgery Center. “They greet you at the kiosk, they interact with you. We’re so desensitized by drive-thru screens that it feels unique and different to interact with someone. I decided I wanted to build my own coffee franchise like that—and Onit came to life.” The 26-year-old hired an East Coast consulting firm to learn from experts and spent almost two years searching for the perfect location for his new business. After being repeatedly outbid
