Community Highlights: Meet Stefani Jakubowski of Anna’s Café

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefani Jakubowski.

Hi Stefani, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
This is a great question. I didn’t dream of owning a mobile espresso cart as a kid; I honestly never knew what I wanted to do. What I did know was that I wanted to own my own business, just like Anna did. (pronounced “Ah-nah”)

Anna was my Yiayia (very Greek grandmother), and she actually owned Anna’s Café when she was alive. It was a charming Greek American restaurant in Warren, down the street from the GM Tech Center. I have always been inspired by her charisma, her resourcefulness, and her ability to succeed in an environment that didn’t make it very easy.

So why a mobile espresso business? Honestly, it just made sense to me. I had been stewing over what type of business to start for years, and at some point, I honed in on coffee. I have been obsessed with coffee since the day Anna let me dip my koulourakia cookie into her Greek coffee. I think I must have been like 10 years old. Whether I really enjoyed the taste or not is debatable, but I loved it because she loved it.

I knew my business would be coffee, but I wanted to do something different, something that would align my passion with my experience in the corporate world. I worked in Advertising and Marketing for 11 years and spent a significant portion of that time on experiential marketing. So, I knew how to do events. I knew how to be scrappy and resourceful, and creative. I figured I could learn the rest. And I did, and here I am today, running a successful espresso event business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This question makes me laugh! Uh, no. It has not been a smooth road! It’s been more like a rollercoaster. There has been a lot of blood, sweat, tears, spinning in circles, a whole lot of beginner’s luck, support from likely and unlikely places, and loads of determination involved! I think the first big struggle was making decisions. I had a lot of ideas, and not all of them could be executed. I had to hone in the vision and just start taking action to see where it would take me. I actually started the business with a 1963 Ford Econoline that I was going to transform into a coffee truck. But it just didn’t work out, and I had to pivot and make decisions, and ultimately move forward with a new vision. And honestly, I’m glad I did! The cart concept has really worked for me, even though it wasn’t where this all started, but sometimes good things come out of disappointments.

As you know, we’re big fans of Anna’s Café. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Yes! Anna’s Café is a mobile espresso bar experience that provides premium espresso and specialty coffees to indoor and outdoor events.

We’re a multi-roaster coffee bar, meaning we use a curated selection of coffees (all by local coffee roasters) at our events. There are so many great roasters in Michigan, and many of them have become dear friends. So, I make an effort to collaborate with some of my favorites, and the list of collaborators is always growing! We do have (and sell) our very own house coffee, roasted locally with three singe-origin coffees from Colombia and Ethiopia. It’s fruity, floral, milk-chocolaty, and quite delightful.

What sets us apart from others? Well, for starters, we’re mobile! So that’s cool. We bring a quality 4th wave coffee experience out of the coffee shop brick-and-mortar and set it up anywhere coffee lovers roam. I also believe our product sets us apart. If you know espresso, you know it is a science and an art! It truly is alive! Espresso feels changes in temperature, pressure, humidity, and even the barista’s mood. Making the best espresso with each new batch of coffee beans is a labor of love, especially when your espresso bar isn’t climate controlled! It’s a challenge, and sometimes it’s absolute madness, but I love it.

I’ve created a brilliant community of espresso and coffee experts, and I’m always learning and progressing in my craft. I’m the type of person who is never truly satisfied, I am always on a mission to be better.

So that’s what you’ll get at Anna’s Café. An espresso experience that is progressive, fun, local. And a hand-crafted coffee that will leave you saying,” This is the best latte/cappuccino I’ve ever had!”

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
My advice for those who are just starting out would be make a plan (and know less than 50% of it will actually work out the way you planned), be true to yourself, don’t listen to everyone’s advice, find a group of people you trust for good advice, and then commit with your actions! Have some investment money and start building with that even if your vision has to shrink a bit (you can always grow once you get started!); buy something to create a commitment, like a “put your money where your mouth is” type thing. It will definitely start making your vision a reality and set things in motion. Once momentum starts, you won’t be able to stop it! And the rest you can figure out along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annascafedetroit.com/
• Instagram: @annascafedetroit
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annascafedetroit