Juju’s Coffee Charms East Dallas with New Roastery Cafe

At the new Juju’s Coffee shop and roastery in East Dallas. All images courtesy of Juju’s Coffee.

A young North Texas coffee company called Juju’s Coffee has channeled the retro appeal of its 1962 Airstream trailer for its first brick-and-mortar roastery cafe in East Dallas. 

A bright red 1985 5-kilo Probat roaster beckons passersby from just inside the shop’s front window, setting the cheery tone for the cafe. On the nearby wooden coffee bar, a commanding Victoria Arduino Adonis espresso machine echoes the Probat’s bright red hue. Combined with the white walls and pink flooring of the shop, these elements also recall the coffee packages lined up on the shelves. 

“We are just normal people, so we might as well have a fun space that is not too modern, fancy, technological, or anything like that, but more nostalgic and homey, in every way possible,” Juju’s Coffee Co-Founder Nick Rocha recently told DCN. “We love the idea of being true to who we are — a neighborhood coffee shop run by a married couple, plain and simple — nothing too fancy.”

Juju’s Coffee Co-Founders Julia and Nick Rocha.

Alongside the 13-year-old 3-group espresso machine is an Anfim grinder for Juju’s house espresso and a Eureka Helios 65 for single-origin offerings. Prior to being roasted on site, the coffees are sourced through De La Finca Coffee Importers and Hacienda La Minita.

“We try to maximize the potential of the coffee bean, leaning more towards a medium roast on the majority of our beans, but we definitely have lighter roasts and darker roasts if we feel the beans lean more one of those ways,” said Rocha. “Our current goal with the roast is to serve our neighborhood to the best of our ability.”

Since opening the cafe in May, married co-owners Nick and Julia Rocha have increased the roasting schedule from one to three days per week, satisfying the growing needs of the cafe as well as the continued needs of the Airstream, named Otis, which still rolls out for events. 

The Rochas first hatched the plan for a coffee business while in college together at North Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, before buying and outfitting the Airstream in Amarillo. Juju’s first public appearance came in McKinney. After a year of building a following through Otis, the opportunity arose for a permanent location in East Dallas/Lakewood.

“Our primary goal at Juju’s is to just get to know the people we serve,” said Nick Rocha. “They have been with us on the journey of learning to roast and have been championing us this whole way. For 2024 and beyond, Juju’s Coffee has lots of goals, [which] has to start with a big healthy team, and that is where our current focus is.”

Juju’s Coffee is located at 6038 La Vista Dr in Lakewood in East Dallas, Texas. Tell DCN’s editors about your new coffee shop or roastery here.