The name Collective Coffee might pique Phoenicians' curiosity. Is it some sort of ideological enterprise?
It turns out the new South Phoenix coffee shop in the former home of Hanai Coffee & Cocktails is unique, but not in ways one might predict. It's run by Juan and Tina Chavez, a Renaissance couple who, in addition to the cafe, founded the church Beloved South Phoenix and the nonprofit AZ Reach. The latter runs mentorship programs for students at local high schools as Betty H. Fairfax, McClintock and Juan's alma mater, Cesar Chavez.
AZ Reach used to host events at Hanai Coffee, but when that cafe closed in August 2024, Juan and Tina, along with Aaron and Dana Dailey, decided to open Collective Coffee in its place. They had experience selling cold brew to friends to raise money to send local kids to camp, so they decided to go commercial and opened Collective Coffee on March 29.
"We didn't want a coffee shop to be lost in South Phoenix,” Juan says. “There's not many locally owned spots like this that exist here."
The owners hope the business will become a cornerstone of the South Phoenix community.
"We see this space as not just a coffee shop, although we are very much wanting to serve good coffee and food, and we do, but as a collaborative space to work together and see all the goodness that can come from it," Juan says.
Collective Coffee is named because of the bridges the owners hope it will build. The beans are from Cultivate Coffee, a nonprofit cafe and roaster in Sunnyslope. Baked goods come from fellow South Phoenix spot Red Velvet Bakery and the cafe also uses ice cream from Scooptacular.
The local collaboration goes beyond the food and drinks. Three local artists — Larry Valenzuela, Fernando Barajas and Angel Paul Lugo — teamed up to create a four-piece art display to hang throughout the store. Also attached to the space is Moe's Barbershop, owned by Moses Garcia, another Chavez High alum.
Since it opened, Collective Coffee has also added an area filled with toys to help those working remotely keep their kids entertained.
"It's turning into something real special,” Juan says.
"I'm not trying to get political," Juan says, "but we have a handful of students that are scared right now of being deported that we're just trying to figure out how we can serve them well and care for them and love on them."
Collective Coffee is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with hopes to extend those hours in the future. The owners hope Collective Coffee will become a safe space for the community to gather, build relationships and work while enjoying good coffee and delicious food.
"Our community needs it," Juan says. "I think a lot of great things are gonna come from it."
