DTLA ESPRESSO SELF: WELCOME TO CIVIL COFFEE

6 DTLA ESPRESSO SELF: CIVIL COFFEE BY KERI FREEMAN VOL 17. NO. 06 - AUGUST 25TH - AUGUST 31ST - 2022 WWW.DTLAWEEKLY.COM MOMENTS OF DISCOVERY & ENJOYMENT CIVIL COFFEE DTLA

Inspired by the flavorful, complex cups of Mexican specialty coffees, brothers Alex and Alan Morales kept asking themselves, how they could create a specialty cafe experience that was just as memorable and approachable to all the folks of various cultural backgrounds in LA.

With previous experience managing cafes and expanding their coffee education in workshops in Seattle and Oregon, the two introduced the first Civil Coffee cart to the world in 2012. Three years later, they would open their first brick-and-mortar cafe in Highland Park in 2015.

Civil Cafe in Highland Park was an overnight success.

Coming from a multicultural background with a strong focus on hospitality, courtesy, and service, the brothers were able to develop products that were sweet, balanced, and appealing to guests from all walks of life. In May of 2022, Civil Coffee opened in a space formally occupied by Stumptown, pre-Covid. Now, in the heart of the city, Civil Coffee became part of the group of young, pioneering entrepreneurs investing in our community’s growth and evolution.

On the northwest corner of 8th and Los Angeles, sits Civil Coffee DTLA, an airy cafe with plenty of room to work, have meetings or just sip coffee and lounge. The natural lighting, high ceilings, and modern interior design suggest Civil Coffee drinkers are the hip, young coffee connoisseurs of the future.

Visitors enjoy some alone time on the comfortable two tops studying or working. Others basque in the sun at the window sipping on a latte with a croissant in coversation, or have work meetings at the conference table.

It's also an experience close and personal with the baristas at Civil's "gorgeous boy" U-shaped bar to talk about single-origin coffees or music.

“Coffee is that one thing people meet for, and we want to be that place. Now that we’re in Downtown Los Angeles, we look forward to building community and an oasis of sorts for locals and visitors alike,” says Alex Morales.

In just a few short months, Civil Coffee had become just that, an oasis featuring community entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and local artists and a space to connect with the neighbors and support up-and-coming “hustlers on the grind”.