A new coffee shop has opened in East Dallas, in a location with a longtime coffee presence: Called Juju's Coffee, it's a to-go shop located at 6038 La Vista Dr. in the center of the Lakewood neighborhood, in a space that was previously home to The Coffee Company.

Juju's Coffee is from Nick and Julia Rocha, a young couple from Amarillo who entered the coffee world after graduating from the University of North Texas with a mobile coffee shop they launched in 2022.

"It was during COVID, and we were sent home during spring break," Nick says. "Julia and I started fantasizing about buying an Airstream and making it into a coffee trailer, and then we said, 'Well why don't we just do it?'"

In one of those fables, they found a classic 1962 Airstream that had been sitting on a farm. It was in rough shape, and so they proceeded to renovate it themselves.

"It took us almost two years," Nick says. "It was basically gutted, it had nothing in it but rat poop when we got it."

Their first event was Mother's Day 2022, and they've since built a following, serving coffee drinks with an unpretentious charm at pop-up and corporate events, weddings, and home FC Dallas soccer games.

“One of our strong suits is getting to know people, and that's how we built a community," Nick says.

A personal connection is also how they found the shop in East Dallas.

"A coworker of mine was married to someone who worked at the Coffee Company, and said they were were ready to retire," Nick says.

The Coffee Company was a coffee roaster and gift shop that had been in that location since 1998; owners Danny Furr and Patricia Brady closed in 2022.

"We felt very blessed to get the space, and it was basically turnkey," Nick says. "They left everything as it was, with tea, coffee, and all their merchandise. Anyone who came by and didn’t know they were retired, we just gave them free bags. We knew it was bittersweet so we gave their customers things to remember them by."

They've since repurposed elements from the store including the '70s countertop which is now their bar. "We don’t have a ton of capital but we also always like to make use of something rather than discard it or throw it away," he says.

They're launching in baby steps, starting with a menu of coffee and espresso drinks, for take-away only, as follows:

• Otis Latte (named after their Airstream): Espresso, vanilla, brown sugar, and oat milk
• Neapolitan Latte: Espresso, white chocolate and strawberry
• Coffee Cola: Mexican coke and a shot of expresso

They currently serve coffee beans from two roasters: Coffee Del Rey from Plano, and Eiland in Richardson. They also serve tea, matcha, and chai.

They'll keep doing the mobile trailer, but at the shop, they hope to add seating, some snacks, and possibly make use of a unique roaster that was left behind to roast their own beans.

"We still seem socially distant after COVID, and we are trying to connect people again - and let coffee be that reason to connect," Nick says.

McKinney has a new coffee shop with a little something extra: Called McKinney Leaf Cafe, it's a coffee shop that also sells CBD items and is opening in a storefront at 405 N. McDonald St.

Operator Josh Ritchie is a former electrician who originally ran a head shop called Smoke on the Water in the same location for a year before he felt the calling to switch from smoke to coffee.

The shop still has a back room as its heritage from the smoke shop, and that's where you can find CBD items and other alternative medicine products.

"The shop is meant to provide an environment for people to start conversations about wellness and mental health, and a place where people can feel safe," Ritchie says.

Their menu features hot or iced espresso drinks, drip coffee, tea, and smoothies. Here's a thing: They offer eight kinds of milk including all the various dairy (whole, 2 percent, heavy cream, half-n-half), plus nondairy almond, oat , coconut, and hemp. No soy?

A highlight of their menu is their flavored frappés, in options such as Matcha, Taro Root, Cookies-n-Cream, Fruity Pebbles, and Cinnamon Toast. All drinks can be CDB or D8-infused.

Ritchie also offers a military discount. Back in his electrician days, he used to do work on military bases.

Cafe hours are 8 am-8 pm, weekends until 10 pm, and closed on Mondays. They're currently in soft opening mode, selling drinks and wellness products.

They'll eventually add food, partnering with local indigenous woman-owned kitchen CK’s Kitchen to offer breads, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and parfaits, with numerous vegan and gluten-free items.

The shop is designed to be a hangout place, with events such as paint classes and tie dye workshops. It has a combination of high-table seating and benches, with an instagrammable green wall with a couple of hammock chairs to lounge. There are plugs all around, TV with a gaming system set up for customers to play, and free wi-fi.

"I feel like I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing," Ritchie says. "Everybody has been so supportive. even competitors across the street have helped me train on coffee. It’s a community, not a competition."

A new coffee spot founded in Michigan is coming to DFW: Called Haraz Coffee House, it's one in a wave of shops specializing in coffee from Yemen, and it's opening on the east side of Plano in a new complex at 4345 14th St. called Ladera Heights.

According to founder Hamzah Nasser, it'll open in mid-May, and will be the first location in the DFW area.

Haraz specializes in Yemeni- and Turkish-style coffees and espresso-based drinks, and imports its beans from Yemeni farmers.

Nasser was born in Yemen and came to the U.S. when he was 5. He founded the concept in Michigan, which boasts a large population of Yemeni immigrants, after traveling throughout the Middle East where he became inspired by the buzzy coffee culture.

He attributes a growing interest in Yemeni-style coffee to a generational movement that intends to shift the agricultural balance back to coffee, just as it was decades ago.

"Yemen is well known for coffee distribution worldwide, and this used to be the backbone in economy of the country," he says.

He says that tradition was lost with the increase of khat, a stimulant drug that consumes much of the country's agricultural resources.

"Our ancestors built a country and an economy of coffee, and then that drug came to Yemen, and it took over everything," Nasser says. "We are the generation that wants to bring that coffee culture back."

In fact, Nasser, who deals directly with coffee growers, says he often offers additional money for farmers to switch from khat to coffee.

Since opening the first location in Dearborn, Michigan in 2021, Nasser has overseen an expansion with four locations in Michigan and three more on the books, as well as an expansion outside Michigan with franchisees who've opened two shops in Louisville, Kentucky, and one in Sugarland, southwest of Houston, which opened in March.

"All of our franchisees have been customers that believed in the brand and its emphasis on organic, sun-dried coffee beans," Nasser says.

The coffee is from Yemen, but they use a variety of brewing methods including Yemeni, Turkish, Saudi, and American. Many of their drinks incorporate spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.

Specialty drinks include:

• Haraz Latte: Double shot of espresso with Haraz spiceMaleki: Coffee and husks, with ginger, cinnamon, and light cream
• Saffron Latte: Double shot of espresso with saffron and honey (there is also a caramel version of this drink)
• Adeni/Karak Chai: Premium black tea with heavy cream and Haraz spice
• Harazi: Coffee with cardamon and cream

The Plano location comes with a kitchen, so they'll also offer items baked in house such as Bee Bites (cream cheese-filled bread drizzled with honey or syrup), coffee cakes, and cheesecake, including an Istanbul version, covered with Nutella.

The design will include certain Haraz trademarks, Nasser says.

"Our stores have a modern yet traditional look, bringing the Western and Middle Eastern cultures together," he says. "All stores feature a historic timeline through a map on the wall that illustrates the Yemeni influence on coffee history throughout the world."

The Yemeni population in Texas is smaller than in Michigan but Nasser sees opportunity in Texas' growing economy. He's already scouting for locations in Frisco and Irving.

"And Haraz Coffee House welcomes a much larger and more diverse clientele, who appreciate the rich flavors of Yemeni coffee," he says.

A new cafe serving coffee, sandwiches, panini, tacos, salads, and soups is coming to Irving. Called Dawn to Dusk Cafe, it'll open in mid-April at 6561 Riverside Dr., near Royal Lane, in Las Colinas.

The cafe is from Vijay Babu, a former IT professional and entrepreneur who owns the shopping center where the café is located. He's created an entire village there. In 2014, he opened the iGrow Montessori School, then the iSwim Academy, and lastly, a Cold Stone Creamery.

Now he's adding a cafe in response to customer demand.

"The neighbors were asking for something like this," Babu says. "I could have brought in a chain or a concept from outside, but I wanted to make sure the strip remained family-friendly, and decided to open it myself."

Actually, it's a family affair: He created the concept with the help of his daughters Suvetha and Shruthi, one a master’s degree student and the other one a 10th grader.

They not only helped create the concept, they also helped with the design and menu.

True to the name, it'll be open 8 am-6 pm every day, with a menu that spans from coffee and breakfast to lunch and dinner.

Their menu will have five components:

• Beverages: Coffee (including Indian Kumbakonam coffee), smoothies, and fresh juices
• All-day breakfast: Omelets, avocado toasts, breakfast burritos
• Sandwiches and panini: This will be the star of the menu, as the area does not have a strong sandwich offering
• Soups and Salads: A vegetarian, and a non-vegetarian soup of the day, and five specialty salads
• Main course: Pastas, salmon dish, pouri (Indian deep-fried bread) and potatoes, parotta (layered flat bread)

The menu reflects the neighborhood's widely diverse demographics with a variety of cuisines, from Italian to Mexican to Asian.

It will also have a significant vegetarian presence. Babu is a vegetarian and is focused in providing good vegetarian options.

The space will include a wine bar, as well, once the license is approved.

Decor is clean, luminous, "premium," with a wooden backdrop, comfortable chairs, and a digital menu. They're also adding an outdoor seating area.

"My goal is to provide a feel-good space, a nice hangout spot with a diverse menu, so customers can always find something they like, regardless of their demographic," Babu says.

A new coffee shop is bringing Yemeni-style hospitality to Richardson. Called Arwa Coffee, it's a hidden gem, tucked into a shopping center at 888 S. Greenville Ave. #223, that has become an instant favorite in the neighborhood and a destination both for coffee lovers and the greater Yemeni community.

The shop is a family venture from Yazan Soofi, a native of Yemen, along with his wife Susan, sister Nora, and brother-in-law Faris Almatrahi, who founded the shop to bring awareness to Yemen's beauty and culture.

That includes a library in the back with books on Yemeni culture, as well as a small market where they sell their own candles with what Soofi calls “typical scents of Yemen," plus totes, small handcrafted items, and high-valued Sidr honey, grown in Yemen, and untouched by chemicals, cultivation, or modern machinery.

"When we were looking for a location, we wanted to find a place near a college campus, and the University of Texas at Dallas is about four miles away," Soofi says. "We also wanted someplace with lots of parking, which is important in the Dallas-Fort Worth market."

They've infused the storefront with Arabic accents that include a natural golden color palette, Middle Eastern-style arches, farmer's hats hanging from the ceiling that serve as lighting fixtures, and a 25,000-piece mosaic mural portraying old Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

The coffee comes from Yemen, as well, and they roast their beans in-house.

Yemen has a long history with coffee, dating back to its inception centuries ago, and is credited with being the first country to cultivate and harvest coffee beans. Their industry is still dominated by small family farms who grow beans without chemicals, and who dry the beans naturally, which allows natural flavors to infuse the beans and results in a richer-tasting coffee.

Yemeni coffee shops have begun to spring up in the U.S. in hipster locations like Brooklyn. It's only been recently that beans from Yemen could be procured.

While Arwa does serve typical cappuccinos and lattes, they also offer Yemeni-style drinks with spices such as cardamom, including:

• Jubani: Coffee and husks (cascara), cardamon, ginger, cinnamon
• Mofawar: Coffee, cardamon, fresh ginger, cinnamon, sugar, milk
• Adeni Tea: Premium black tea, milk, sugar, Arwa spice blend
• Yemeni Latte: Latte, cardamon syrup, honey, Arwa spice blend
• Sanaani Coffee: Medium and dark roast coffee, cardamon

To get a taste of each, you can order a sampler with four drinks for $15, or $20 with treats (available Monday-Thursday only, because it's too busy on weekends).

Food options consist of pastries from La Casita Bakeshop, as well as Yemeni items baked at a commercial kitchen, such as the honeycomb, their most popular item, consisting of a fluffy bread filled with cream cheese, and topped with cardamon syrup and sesame seeds. They also offer cheese breads and cakes.

The staff is diverse and comprised almost entirely of college students who train in Yemeni culture and drinks to ensure authenticity. The training also includes instilling an incredibly hospitable and accommodating level of service.

"We wanted to build a place that reminds us of home," Soofi says. “Yemeni people always give you hospitality, they'll give you everything they have. We want to do the same."