A new wave of Indonesian coffee shops is making its mark in the Bay Area, offering local coffee lovers a taste of tropical flavors. The latest addition to this growing trend is Hijau, a coffee pop-up in San Jose known for its unique lattes infused with flavors like pineapple, coconut, lemongrass, and ginger.
Hijau was founded in February 2024 by South Bay residents Lisa Maria and Ryan Prawiradjaja. Maria, originally from Bekasi, Indonesia, moved to the United States 15 years ago to attend college. After being laid off from her job as a product manager at a tech startup last year, Maria decided to pursue her long-held dream of opening a coffee shop.
“I’ve always thought about starting a coffee shop,” Maria explains. “My mom and dad were coffee roasters in the ’80s.”
Maria’s parents ran a small coffee-roasting business in Bekasi, supplying roasted beans to local vendors. Although Maria was too young to drink coffee at the time, she fondly remembers the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee in her childhood home. Now, she and her husband are continuing the family tradition by sharing the love of coffee with their newborn daughter.
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