Among the bustling streets of downtown, the coffee at Grind Coffee Co., the Coastal Bend’s newest coffee shop, offers a tranquil experience. With a clear vision, the shop emphasizes the simplicity of high-quality coffee, which is how it aims to distinguish itself as a fresh local favorite.
Owners Josiah and Griselda Duenes didn’t enter the coffee business with the knowledge they possess today. Their journey began as a volunteer opportunity, where they served coffee during services at their local church.
“The inspiration behind Grind Coffee came from the moment of time we were in,” said Josiah Duenes. “As college students, life was always a grind, so [the name] just kind of stuck.”
The couple visited various coffee shops in different cities, ultimately realizing that the complexity of the menus became overwhelming, which often led them to default to plain black coffee. Their vision for Grind Coffee became clear: to have coffee as the main focus with simple ingredients that enhance rather than overpower the beverage.
When the opportunity to open a physical location arose, they were eager to create a space that would foster community. With backgrounds in graphic design and architecture, Josiah and Griselda wanted their new space to reflect their creativity and vision.
“We feel like Corpus has always been a place where talented people end up leaving to seek more opportunities,” Josiah said. “There is untapped creativity in the city, and we wanted to create a space that makes them feel at home. The goal was to build a space that allows people to feel comfortable tapping into that creativity.”
Grind’s menu features the usual espresso-based suspects, such as a latte, cortado, macchiato and cappuccino. It also offers pour-overs for a hot or cold cup of joe made with a Chemex. And, even with the “simple ingredients” tenet in mind, you’ll find a specialty drinks menu with the likes of a mocha latte and a brown sugar cinnamon latte. Plus, its house-made cold foam is quite tasty.
Grind Co. also provides coffee subscriptions that deliver a bag of either ground or whole beans to your doorstep each month. The Dueneses collaborated with Driftwood Coffee to create their signature roast, called Starter Fluid. This blend features flavor notes of dark chocolate, almond, strawberry, honey and lemon.
Despite its simple approach, Grind Coffee is proof that not all coffee is created equal. Whether you are turning to coffee to provide comfort in a cup or using it as fuel to gain motivation to tackle the day, Grind Coffee is a refreshing reminder that sometimes, less is more.
Contact: 615 N. Upper Broadway #140
