The Grind Coffee Project, located at 10519 S.W. 109 Ct, is a great place to study, hang out, and relax near Kendall Campus. Walking into the Grind Coffee Project, you feel as like you are at your best friend’s house about to enjoy a cup of coffee and good conversation.
Yoni Martin and Brian Hayes, the owners of the shop, hope to bring “Remarkable Coffee for Remarkable People.” Grind Coffee Project’s goal is to connect with the Kendall community while providing good coffee.
“One of the biggest problems today is the digital era,” Hayes said. “No one stops and tries to get to know their neighbor.”
Martin and Hayes are dedicated to being more involved in the community. Most of the art covering the walls is done by local Miami artists. They encourage artists to bring their work so it can be shared with customers.
They are actively involved in community festival events, monthly food drives, farmers markets, chess clubs, book clubs and family friendly entertainment. A portion of the tip money earned at events goes to community charities. Upcoming events are usually announced on their twitter (@CoffeeProject).
Martin and Hayes, who initially met in Milwaukee while they were working on their associate’s degrees, view coffee as a work of art. Most of their beans are imported from various farms, nationally and worldwide. The menu is simple, only showing the prices of drinks without going into great detail. This is because the shop constantly adds different coffee beans.
Although most of the menu changes frequently, they always offer two interesting mochas, Nutella & Siracha, and Dark Chocolate & Balsamic. The drinks may sound odd, however, they are known to be strangely delicious.
“Coffee should be treated as a fruit,” Martin said. “You must know how to grind and brew it.”
In fact, Grind Coffee Project does not offer cream or sugar for their beverages so customers can taste the natural flavor in each cup. The owners do not view coffee as just a quick “pick me up.”
The Grind Coffee Project is a product of Martin’s love for coffee. Growing up in South Florida, he would drink cortadito, a Cuban espresso, during intermissions of Opera shows. Yoni would make coffee for friends in his garage and decided to create the Grind Coffee Project with Hayes. At the time Hayes was living in Boston working as a cyclist trainer.
“Yoni called me saying he was working on something and to come down to Florida and so I did,” Hayes said.
Together they opened their first coffee shop in Fort Lauderdale and later expanded to Kendall in September of 2014.
The rest is history.
