Photo courtesy of Kuumba Juice & Coffee
Kuumba Juice and Coffee
(From left to right) Alexander Hagler, Joe Ferch and Ellie Jackson outside the Kuumba Juice and Coffee Bar.
A cozy new coffee shop, Kuumba Juice & Coffee, recently opened its doors in Harambee, located at 274 E. Keefe Ave. near the Beerline Trail. Opened in early 2024, Kuumba is named after the Swahili word for “creativity,” the sixth Kwanzaa principle. With a warm, inviting atmosphere that feels like a charming living room, Kuumba serves wonderful coffee, juice and food items Wednesday through Sunday while closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Kuumba Juice & Coffee is co-owned by Ellie Jackson, Alexander Hagler and Joe Ferch. Their motto goes, “To always do as much as we can, in the way we can, to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.”
Entering the shop, one finds a couch and comfortable chairs scattered between circular tables and potted plants while pleasant, thoughtfully arranged artwork decorates the apricot-colored walls. Outside is a large patio where folks can relax on a fair-weather day, plus the shop is equipped with operational garage doors. Whether one is having a cup of coffee with an old friend or a local organization is having a team meeting, Kuumba is a community hub where all are welcome.
Community Development
Jackson had previously been involved with Beintween, a now-defunct group that spearheaded programming along the Beerline Trail, that worked with the city to have the building that now houses Kuumba built. Community development organization Riverworks MKE reached out to Hagler and Ferch, who previously ran the business Center Street Wellness, to see if they would be interested in doing something new with the building.
“I happened to have worked with Alex at Victory Garden Initiative for years,” Jackson recalls. “We were actually roommates for a while. Joe and I played soccer together for like eight years.”
Jackson, who has worked in coffee since she was 16, joined the conversation with Hagler and Ferch, and together they envisioned a holistic-oriented coffee shop where the overlap between community and creativity is championed.
“We have shared values as far as making sure that everyone in the city of Milwaukee has access to delicious and nutritious food,” Jackson affirms. “I have worked in coffee shops, but Alex has experience working in restaurants, and Joe was specifically interested in juicing.”
New and Robust
Photo courtesy of Kuumba Juice & Coffee.
Kuumba Juice and Coffee (Interior)
A view of the espresso bar at Kuumba Juice & Coffee Bar.
At Kuumba, customers may order the usual suspects of coffee and espresso like lattes, cortados and cold brew but also enjoy something new and robust. The shop introduced two wonderful creations over the winter, the Rosemary Brown Sugar Latte and the White Chocolate Raspberry Orange Sea Salt Espresso. Their tea offerings include chai and matcha as well as a handful of loose-leaf varieties.
But folks do not have to like coffee to feel at home at Kuumba. The shop’s line of visually pleasing juices and smoothies includes seasonal options, kept simple to bring out the utmost flavor. Juice favorites include the Bright Sunny Day made with orange, carrot and ginger as well as the Forever Greens made with cucumber, celery, apple, kale and lemon. Smoothies include the Wishful Delight consisting of mixed berries, banana. peanut butter and oat milk, as well as the Tropical containing pineapples, peaches and mangoes with an orange base and yogurt.
“The food and juice options are how Alex really flexes his creativity,” Jackson explains. “I like the menu because it feels covert, like someone might not know that they’re drinking kale. The Tropical smoothie is one of our top sellers.”
Classic Sandwiches
In terms of food, Kuumba offers classic breakfast sandwiches, spicy Caribbean jerk chili, West African-inspired peanut stew and more, also rotated seasonally. The shop sources their dairy from Sassy Cow Creamery, and all their meat and eggs come from local vendors.
“We have certain ingredients that we try to be as creative as we can with,” Jackson continues. “During the summer when there are more fruits and vegetables available, it’s easier to have more veggie options on the menu.”
More than just a coffee shop, Kuumba opens their doors for local community organizations to hold meetings, workshops and events. “Safe and accessible space is important, and this is one of those spaces,” Jackson says. “There’s been puzzle competitions here lately, and there’s a poetry group that meets here every Sunday. We get to do all these things through the lens of a coffee and juice bar, and that’s my favorite part about this project.”
Kuumba plans to expand programming out on their patio this year with more creative talent like music and poetry. The shop recently celebrated their one-year anniversary party on February 9.
This weekend at Kuumba, artist-consultant Danielle Lynne Williams is leading the “From Bean to Brew: Decoding Coffee’s Flavor Journey” workshop on Saturday, March 29 from 10 a.m. to noon. On Sunday, March 30, the “Soup Against Coup: Anti-Fascist Bowls” fundraiser takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., complete with tunes by DJ Dripsweat, with half of proceeds supporting Comite Sin Fronteras.
Jackson concludes by planting a seed, “It would be cool to see Kuumba juices in other shops in the future. I want there to be more collaboration with other small businesses.”
