COFFEE CART LOS ANGELES
ESPRESSO • TEA • TREATS
ON LOCATION • ON SET
PRODUCTION CATERING
CRAFT-SERVICES
SPECIAL EVENTS
SERVING ALL OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
100% DONATION-BASED
#LIBERATEDCOFFEE
Direct all inquiries to info@cafablanca.com
Or send us details below and we will get in touch
WE ARE CAFABLANCA
Cafablanca got rolling in January 2020 to bring craft coffee and tea to special events and Film/TV sets
During the pandemic, we decided to operate as street vendors, serving 100% donation-based drinks and pastries outdoors to help keep our community safe.
It has been over 5 years and we have never charged anyone for a drink. Kindness fuels us. We fuel you.
We are inspired by the iconic style and anti-fascist sentiment of the classic American film, Casablanca
We believe that great stories and great art can change the world. Even great latte art.
So how did we get here?
A COFFEE BUSINESS
BORN OUT OF GENEROSITY
CAMERON (V.O.)
It was the spring of 2018. I was living in South Berkeley, slinging espresso shots in this little Americana café that had just opened up on the nearby Oakland border. One day a customer brought his empty mug up to my counter and set it down with a smile.
HENRY
Hey there, I'm Henry. Man, I gotta tell you, that was a damn good cappuccino.
CAMERON
Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
CAMERON (V.O.)
I thought this guy was flirting with me, until he said
HENRY
so, uhh, this is pretty random, but I'm trying to build this mobile espresso bar thingy.
CAMERON
Oh... that's kinda cool.
Henry
Yeah, but the thing is, I need to film a short video--
CAMERON
I do film work.
HENRY
--you do??
CAMERON (V.O.)
It was an understatement. I was bored behind that coffee counter, daydreaming of spending my days on film sets, wondering if I would ever find out if my great-grandfather made a movie poster for Casablanca.
HENRY (CONT.)
Do you think uhh, maybe you could help me out?
CAMERON
Happy to! Let's roll.
CAMERON (V.O.)
I flipped the OPEN sign CLOSED, polished the espresso bar, hit the lights, and helped this perfect stranger produce a short video for what was to become a successful Kickstarter campaign.
Henry used donations to transform an auto-rickshaw into the west coast's cutest mobile café
It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship
Neither of us knew then that fate would hand the keys over to yours truly
Or that I would drive this buzzy yellow buggy down to Los Angeles
And call it Cafablanca
COFFEE
IN A TIME OF CRISIS
I parked Cafablanca in Hollywood for the first time in January of 2020
As I was setting up one of Cafablanca's first ever pop-ups, Kobe Bryant, his daughter and several others were killed in a helicopter crash only a few miles away. Devastated by the news, we located a nearby Kobe mural and passed out free coffee to a stream of mourning fans. This impromptu gesture led Cafablanca to land her very first paid gig, and it was even in her target market: serving craft coffee inside a production studio
It was a dream come true, but within weeks of our debut another tragedy forced us to slam on the breaks. COVID-19 changed our world overnight and ravaged our country's economy, healthcare system, and global standing. As for our catering plans? Those were kaput.
FINDING A NEW PURPOSE
Cafablanca had a lot of time to sit in the parking lot and think. During the pandemic, and in the uncertain years since, the need for real change and real justice has become a matter of life or death for all of us.
America is in need of reforms that are both common sense and foundational by nature. These crucial societal shifts can be brought about democratically if we communicate their benefits with bipartisan appeal.
Climate change is the clear and urgent humanitarian issue of our time, and there are 100 corporations responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That fact must be centered in every mitigation effort.
America was founded by immigrants, and children belong with their parents. We call for the abolition of I.C.E, the protection of DREAMERS, and the preservation of due-process as a fundamental right in this country.
We must do whatever it takes to restore women's rights and bodily autonomy as law of the land. Yes, that includes equal rights & fair treatment for transgender women. Nobody is are free until all of us are free.
Women's rights are human rights.
LGBTQ rights are human rights.
Immigrant rights are human rights.
All forms of terrorism against innocent civilians are abhorrent and require our vigilance and condemnation. White supremacist domestic terrorism has always posed a disproportionate threat to American communities.
All lives cannot matter until Black lives matter. Dismantling systemic racism is the only way forward.
We stand with the people of Ukraine. We stand with the women of Iran. We stand with the girls of Afghanistan. We stand with both Palestinian and Israeli families, and we stand against any tyrannical, imperialist, oppressive, or religiously extremist government.
Americans have woken up to the utter hell of war, which unless defensive, amounts to state-sponsored genocide. We are done funding the bombing and starvation of innocent civilians, and opposing weapons sales to the Israeli government in 2026 is not antisemitic.
That being said...
Hatred + discrimination towards, conspiracies about and violence against Jewish people has exploded globally. In the same way that Republicans are culpable for their tolerance of neo-nazis under the red tent, Democrats must reckon with their own silence around anti-Jewish trends, and tamp down on the horseshoe antisemitism of the left's loudest, most extreme fringe. Especially if we ever want to win another national election.
Americans loves Jewish people and so should you.
Social Media has become a hot bed for disinformation and a slow drip assault on our collective psyche. These highly addictive echo chambers that monopolize our time, efforts and attention keep us angry and harm us in ways that we can't fully comprehend. Think for yourself. Speak to those who think differently than you. Some of the most productive dialogue stems from disagreement, and some of the most dangerous propagandists are the ones who share your sympathies.
Legalize cannabis. Federally. Yesterday.
America has 5% of the world's population yet 25% of the world's prisoners. The mass incarceration industry must end, and that starts with banishing for-profit prisons. Corporations should not be incentivized to cage us.
Defunding the police is a losing policy proposal. Ending police patrol? Now there's a policy plan with some mass appeal. Nobody likes getting pulled over, and most instances of police brutality stem from traffic stops. Firefighters aren't driving around looking for fires. Cops shouldn't drive around looking for crimes.
Nobody should have a trillion dollars. It is impossible for wealth that excessive to be acquired ethically.
We need to put a cap on capitalism.
We need to put a check on tech.
We need Artificial Intelligence to benefit humanity, not just the pocketbooks of shareholders.
The problems of our little 3 wheel coffee cart don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
Somehow, we still believe that love, peace and unity will persevere over hate, war and division.
Cafablanca clearly sees how so many of our problems are a direct consequence of unrestrained financial greed.
We question how growing our business in today's economy can contribute to a more equitable future for all...