Two University of Florida students, Sofia Ortiz, 19, and Titan Wojciak, 21, have accomplished their shared dream of owning a coffee shop.
“Brewing Thoughts” officially opened Friday at 8 a.m., with a line already out of the door.
"It was amazing,” said Ortiz. “We didn't trust that everyone would wake up for it, but we gave out 15 free drinks at the beginning, and we ran out of the 15 free drinks immediately.”
Although this is just the beginning of the pair’s brick-and-mortar location, “Brewing Thoughts” was initially a cafe on wheels. The two started the business in October of 2025 out of Wojciak’s iconic green Kei mini-truck.
The truck could be spotted in different locations around Gainesville, often on West University Avenue accompanied by a weekend thrift pop-up.
Taking notice of their growing number of patrons, social media followers and revenue, the couple decided it was time to hit the brakes and park in a permanent location.
“With the truck it was hard to make a place where people can come together and bring a community,” said Wojciak. “Here at the store, we're hoping to build that community.”
The storefront is located in Downtown Gainesville on Southwest First Avenue, sitting between The Bull and Lore Kebab.
But community is not all they’re building – the cafe continues to expand its menu, serving beverages and food. Customers can order both coffee and matcha, accompanied by a choice of house-made syrup and cold foam. A variety of sandwiches and monkey breads are offered as well.
Each cup is adorned with a baby’s breath flower before being served. This has become an integral part of the "Brewing Thoughts” brand, now seen on employee shirts and the building’s front face.
Just as baby’s breath is a dainty addition to any bouquet, allowing other flowers to stand out, Ortiz wants customers to know they stand out as well.
“Baby's breath is really a way of us being a back for you to build what you want and be your true beautiful self, like a rose surrounded by baby’s breaths,” said Ortiz.
The store itself took four months to renovate. Ortiz and Wojciak purchased the physical building over the summer, spending their break from school solidifying permits, building, designing and passing inspections.
“There's a lot of hard decisions that we have to make together,” said Wojciak. “But it's really nice to share something that we're both passionate about and work together.”
“Brewing Thoughts” is open six days a week and sits ready to welcome Gainesville with fresh food and drinks.