Spin Boy Coffee buys out a vendor. Photo courtesy of Spin Boy.
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Coffee without Ice
Coffee without Ice
This project was conducted in the summer of 2025 for JAMS 102 Multimedia Storytelling.
Impacted by the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, residents of Santa Ana and other neighboring cities looked to one another for support. Early June 2025 marked the beginning of ICE activity, sparking panic and fear from the streets to homes. Within a week, community members organized protests and workshops to stand up in solidarity with immigrants. While some marched, others, like business owners, used their platforms to share critical information and help the cause. Not everyone can take to the streets and protests. For some, supporting a small business that can donate its profits to organizations protecting immigrants is how they help. A coffee cart can act as a pillar in the community and be a source for good. Coffee businesses like carts, pop-ups and mobile shops have taken the lead in using their businesses to lend a hand to those affected by ongoing ICE activity. From Café Cordova in Santa Ana to Spin Boy! Coffee & Co. in Anaheim, small business owners found ways to serve and support their community.
Sip in Solidarity—Café Cordova
A line stretches out in front of a coffee cart as people grab their morning coffees and post to their social media. For over five weeks, Café Cordova has hosted its Sip in Solidarity event in which the coffee cart donates a portion of its sales to the OC Rapid Response Network, a non-profit and grassroots organization that works to respond to immigration enforcement in Orange County. Café Cordova works toward being a safe space to support immigrant families. Driven to give back to the community, team member Clarissa Cordova states: “Other small businesses will join us in prioritizing the well-being of our communities. I challenge the community to hold us and other businesses accountable…see who stands tall for their community and isn’t just profiting off our culture without giving back.”
The business raised over $1,470 in five weeks for OCRRN.
“Small businesses like ours can play a vital role in helping the community by staying true to their roots and values. For us, that means honoring our Mexican heritage and standing in solidarity with our community.”
The event drew a big crowd with Santa Ana Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez also attending. "I saw a big line at the Cordova cafe. People are open to give. People are donating to buy out street vendors, so they could go home and not be on the street," said Vazquez.
Other attendees included community members Jennifer and Ubi who showed up to the event to show their support.
"It feels like we’re still able to enjoy the smaller things in life even though there’s a lot of hurt happening
to our communities. We know what (the money) is going towards," said Jennifer (25).
"It’s great that it’s an easier entry for people. Maybe people who are like not ready to organize or don’t have time to organize. It’s a great way to give and like help and still feel like you’re part of the community even when you're not," said Ubi (23).
Spin Boy Coffee
ICE has not only impacted Santa Ana neighborhoods. Spin Boy Coffee is helping its community in West Anaheim. The family-run business started as an idea by Rogelio Gonzalez who runs the shop with the help of his mom and sister. The business has a large menu focusing on Mexican specialties. This summer, they helped the immigrant
community by donating a share of profits to multiple organizations. “It didn’t feel right selling stuff when all this stuff was going on. But I did want to help out in a way. We just wanted to give a voice because, as individuals, we don’t really have a voice, but through Spin Boy, we do,” said Rogelio.
They donated 100% of their bagel & schmear sales of one week to CHIRLA, 100% of banana bread sales another week to Border Angels, and 10% of every sale a third week to buy out a street vendor’s merchandise in Anaheim.
“At the end of the day, a lot of these people who lot of these people who come are a majority come are a majority Latino. They’re being affected. They’re the ones that are supporting us. It’s good for us to support each other through all this.”
Coffee and Baked Goods Sale—Hasta Mañana Coffee and Brewsers Coffee
On June 13 two small coffee businesses, Hasta Mañana Coffee and Brewsers Coffee, set up a coffee and baked goods sale at Good Daze Tattoo in DTSA. The proceeds of the sale went to GoFundMe accounts of families impacted by ICE. The money raised totaled $1,828. Brewsers Coffee made the coffee while Hasta Mañana Coffee made the baked goods.
“Brewsers Coffee Co. and I have been super active with everything going on with ICE and how families were being affected. But we wanted to help more, so we teamed up to do a sale ourselves,” said Brianna Briseño of Hasta Mañana Coffee. “We did a lot better than we expected and were so grateful to be given the opportunity to give back to our community.
"[The community] is supporting. They want to make sure you know that we all stay intact and
our families stay together. It affects one. It affects us all. We feel it," said Councilmember Vazquez.
coffeewithoutice.pdfRead or download the zine!
Read or download the zine!
A zine on how community coffee businesses use their platforms to support immigrants navigating ICE activity in the summer of 2025.
A zine on how community coffee businesses use their platforms to support immigrants navigating ICE activity in the summer of 2025.
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