Everbloom Coffee began with a cart. Meet the duo behind the popular coffee spot in Indio – Desert Sun

Efrain Mercado and Matthew Ortega have a few things in common.

They both grew up in the Coachella Valley,share a passion for coffee andwere tired of working at coffee shops in Palm Springs.

In November 2019 they decided to share their love for coffee with their community by starting their own business,Everbloom Coffee.

In the past few months, Everbloom has quickly become a favorite spot in the east valley as residents and patrons expresstheir support for thebusiness, specifically through social media posts.

"Starting the day off in a good way," wrote Eric Afan on Instagram under a picture of his Everbloom coffee cup.

Their Instagram following has grown as customers show off their coffee drinks and the Everbloom account re-postsphotos and videos.

Theirmotto "coffee for the people" has continuedto attract new customers along with their regulars. They said they hope their business will keepgrowing and become a place for the community to call their own.

How Everbloom began

Mercado and Ortega met at College of the Desert and quickly bonded after realizing they both had experience working at coffee shops in Palm Springs.

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Ortega, 25,worked at an espresso bar inside a Palm Springs hotel, but felt the lack of support from hotel management for his craft.

"No one cared, but I was passionate about the coffee,"Ortega said.

They bothenjoyedpersonal connections serving coffee allowed them to make.

We got to see our regulars everyday and sometimes we were the first face they saw in the morning,"said Mercado. It's an honor being able to make someones day through coffee."

Mercado, 26, gainedexperience workingat Coffee Bean. He also helped the now-closed coffee shop Joey Palm Springs with their business growth.

"I figured if theycould do it, then I could do it too,"Mercado said.

Wanting to branch out, the two started Everbloom Coffee as a cart last yearto cater events. Ortega said he saw a coffee cart in San Francisco and thought, "The valley would really appreciate something like that."

Their cart,a coffee stand with wheels and theEverbloom logo printed on the front, has just enough space to fit their coffee machineand room for them to make their drinks.

The name Everbloom comes from their desireto stand out and inspire others. According to Ortega, their name represents that it is never too late to bloom in life.

The modern arton their logo shows an outline of a blooming flower it's the same flower that grows from the coffee plant.

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They didn't initially plan on having a brick and mortar shop.

Two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic brought stay-at-home orders to California, Everbloom began serving coffee from their cart outside of The Kids Bakery in Indio. They remained thereuntil August, when the restaurant terminated their agreement with them after they expressed wanting to open their own location, Ortega said.

Thesuccess of the Everbloom cart has allowed Mercado and Ortega tostart planning theirown coffee shop in Indio off Highway 111. They have continued to serve customers from theircart outside of their futurelocationuntil the remodeling of the shopis complete.

Community brewed

The duo decided to do business in Indio in hopes of expandingcoffee culture in their community after noticing a lack of coffeehousesin the Eastern CoachellaValley.

Sixth Street Coffee in downtown Coachella, The Vintage Coffee House in Indio and now Everbloom are currently the only established local coffee shopsin the east valley.

Some panaderias and restaurants in the area, however, have specialty coffee on their menus, like Casa De Silvia in downtown Indio.There is alsoa growing market of home coffee businesses like The Coffee House and Sinfull Sweets, which operates from a food truck in a backyard. These home coffee shops markettheir businesses through Instagram and sell at vendor fairs throughout the valley.

"Indio is the largest city and has the most full time residents," said Ortega. "We like the consistency of having year-round customers that we can build relationships with."

Everbloom's current setup involves their coffee cart and a few outdoor tent structures while they finish construction inside their building. But don't be fooled by the pop-up appearance of their operation: Ittakes them about three hours total to set up and take down.

On the weekend, there's a majority ofyounger coffee lovers at Everbloom,butother members of the community fathers, older couples can be found enjoying their coffee. While you canexpect a line at any hour of the day, there isn'ta long wait. There's usually another person on the register while Mercado and Ortega work the orders. Theyonly useone coffee machine, but work quickly and most single orders are done by the time you've finished your transaction.

Localssay they support them because they now have a new place to enjoy coffee closer to home. Customers have toldOrtegathey were previously forced to drive to Palm Desert or Palm Springs to find good coffee.

"I work at Indio High School and Everbloomis a big hit" with the staff, educator Amy Douglas told The Desert Sun. "I heard about them from my friends and now I make excuses to come get coffee here."

Customers have said theylike that Mercado and Ortega are from the community providing a service to the community.

According to Ortega, their Instagram analytics show that 75% of their followers live in Indio and Coachella.

Other customers have mentionedthat Sixth Street Coffee,whose ownershavebeen supportive of Everbloom, is their coffee destination during the days that Everbloom is not open.

"Our numbers have actually increased during the pandemic," Steve Garcia, the owner of Sixth Street Coffee, told The Desert Sun. "We've grown in how many team members we have. I credit our customer base to the customer service that my staff provides."

Customer service is something Everbloom also takes seriously.From the moment you place your order, the two only refer to you byyour first name.

"They asked me about my day and how work is going,"Marcella Flores said recentlyas she grabbed her iced coffee. "I like that they are home grown and they care about their customers. I've come every weekend since the start of quarantine."

More than coffee

Mercado and Ortega say they want their business to be honest and transparent. Theyalsowant to give back to their community.

This past summer the Everbloom owners set up their cart atone of the Black Lives Matter protests that took place in Palm Springs and donated free coffee to attendees.Ortega said they want Everbloom to be a safe space thatwelcomes everyone.

The duo hopes to collaboratewith other local businesses in the future and providebaked goods in addition to their coffee.

A goal of theirs is to get involved in programsthat better the valley, including being part of a coalition of Latino business owners. They also want to start aprogram that will teach residentsabout the finances involved in starting theirown business.

The city of Indio hasbeen supportive of Everbloom. Indio Mayor Glenn Millerhelped expedite its permit and businesslicense so they could continue selling out of their cart.

"Miller was a big helpand told us that Indio welcomes entrepreneurs," said Ortega.

It's not uncommonforcities to help local businesses'development.

In 2018 the city of Coachella assisted Sixth Street in starting their coffee business with an economic development incentive. During its first year of operation, the shop wasexempt from paying permitting and planning fees to the cityand received a subsidized lease rate.

On the menu: Coffee with a twist

Everbloom's menu features traditional coffee shopfavoriteslike cappuccinos, americanos and cold brews, but what makes them stand out are their homemade syrups. Customers can choose to add Madagascar vanilla, honey lavender, butterscotch or mocha to their drinks. They alsoserve chai for non-coffee fans and offer oat milk as a substitute.

Everbloom Coffee is currently only open three days a week due to the construction of their shop. Those wanting to trytheir coffee or chai all week can order ahalf-gallon batchby visiting their website.

If you go

Mercado and Ortega are currently working on building theirlocation in Indio and plan to open their doors in December.

The Everbloom Coffee cart is located in Indiooff Highway 111 and Granada Drive. They are currently open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Those wanting to order from Everbloom Coffee can do so at http://www.everbloom.coffee

Amaray Alvarezis an intern at The Desert Sun. You may reach her at amaray.alvarez@desertsun.com.

Efrain Mercado and Matthew Ortega have a few things in common.

They both grew up in the Coachella Valley,share a passion for coffee andwere tired of working at coffee shops in Palm Springs.

In November 2019 they decided to share their love for coffee with their community by starting their own business,Everbloom Coffee.

In the past few months, Everbloom has quickly become a favorite spot in the east valley as residents and patrons expresstheir support for thebusiness, specifically through social media posts.

"Starting the day off in a good way," wrote Eric Afan on Instagram under a picture of his Everbloom coffee cup.

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Everbloom Coffee began with a cart. Meet the duo behind the popular coffee spot in Indio - Desert Sun