This new coffee shop is designed to make you feel better.

English

On the north side of the UC Berkeley campus, among excited freshmen and stressed out graduate students, is a new cafe designed to support mental well-being. Partners Viviana Wang and Aaron Trimble opened Mind Coffee on February 7th.

“Our mission is to raise awareness about mental health and change the way we think about mental health,” Trimble said.

Although the idea to open a coffee shop was nurtured for years, it was ultimately born at a difficult time in Wang’s life. A few years ago, her father passed away while she was working as a paralegal, leaving her in an emotional stalemate. She and Trimble left on a trip across the country, and on her return she decided to take the leap, partly inspired by her mother, who worked at a coffee bar in Colombia.

Trimble said that he and Wang first experimented with a nearby coffee shop, and when a storefront on the edge of campus opened, they latched on to it.

The coffee shop’s design embodies its mission, Trimble told The Standard. The ceiling, an installation of oscillating sheets, aims to show that the mind is never linear.

“We want to create mindful spaces with drinks that inspire,” Wang said.

A collection of mugs in a coffee shop showcase mindfulness cues. And patrons can use signs on tables to indicate they’d like to meet someone new.

“It took a couple of days, but now people are using them,” Trimble said. “Several people told us that they made new friends this way.”

There are several beverages on the coffee shop menu that contain ingredients with potential mental health benefits, such as coconut oil, which some say reduces depression and improves memory. Wang is working with an herbalist to add more teas to the menu, including items like lemon balm and valerian root.

Trimble said they look forward to partnering with local mental health nonprofits in the coming months. In the near future, they plan to organize a death cafe, a gathering to make death more normal and discuss how to get the most out of life.

Smart coffee

1816 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley
themindcoffee.com

English

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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