Meet Danny Silva | Founder of Her Coffee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danny Silva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danny, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Taking a risk on a passion point can be frightening, especially if you are creating a business that will place a risk on your family. I’ve gone off and on many times about whether it’s wise to invest more and more into the business in hopes of a return that would not only benefit the business but also my family. My family and faith are my priorities and so far I’ve been blessed to see a positive return at a small scale and experienced when some decisions went south but took it as a learning experience. You have to take risks to not only pursue growth for your business but also learn from the outcomes. I’m currently still learning and I’m sure more risks will appear in the future, but I hope to see it as a tool to become better and wiser in decision making for this coffee bar project.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Currently Her Coffee is a espresso bar popping up in Glassell Park at LA Homefarm. We focus on seasonal coffees from rotating roasters we admire and are inspired from. We seek coffees that are sourced closely from producers and transparent on how the coffee is presented to us. Hospitality is also big for us, as much as we like to nerd out about amazing coffees from awesome roasters we want to ensure that our customers have a great experience. Our customers are key to our growth and we hope to continue to serve this great neighborhood..

There are many coffee shops in different neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It’s very competitive and difficult to differentiate yourself from the market nowadays. But for us, we’d like to be a coffee bar that offers more than drinks. One of my goals is first to provide great hospitable service and shift a focus to the producer of the coffees we serve. It may not provide the fastest service but quality takes time and we refuse to compromise our quality in the drinks we prepare. We believe in continuous growth and pursue to make our drinks better whether in quality or technique and I think that’s what I’m proud of currently.

This project started as a hobby. My dad always made me make him coffee during my high school years which eventually I got hooked on. One day I learned about specialty coffee and went through the whole rabbit hole. I bought a french press and lightly roasted Ethiopian coffee which changed my perception of what coffee can be. From then on I bought a little espresso machine to learn about espresso, eventually friends and family started to ask me to serve coffee at their weddings and events. Then I started to reinvest in my equipment and started doing more and more events from backyard parties to serving at the Emmys and Grammys with friends. Crazy. I’ve been very fortunate to have experienced wonderful moments thanks to this craft. It wasn’t easy, lots of mistakes and heavy lifting (still today).

My goal for Her Coffee is that it reflects quality, hospitality, and integrity. My vision for this project is that it continues to provide quality products from close relationships from producers/roasters, provide exceptional service to our guests, and be honest with our work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I play around with people when I’m asked about LA, I tell them that I hate and love LA but mostly love it. The traffic and parking sucks but I love what the city has to give. The different pockets of LA showcase how diverse this city can be and full of history.

For breakfast I’d take you to Sqirl in Virgil Village, I’ve been going there for many years. I took my wife there on one of our first dates so it holds a special place. Their breakfast is delicious and their seasonal jams with brioche toast is like no other. They have a pretty solid coffee program but their horchata and turmeric tonic is top notch.

Afterwards I’d take you to a coffee bar tucked inside the Far East Plaza in Chinatown called Endorffeine. The owner, Jack, is always on bar and serves the best espresso in Los Angeles, if not the whole country. I’ve yet to have better pull from other favorite shops.

To burn off some calories as we prepare for lunch I’d take you to the Griffith Observatory. You’ll get an awesome view of the City of Angels as well as the iconic Hollywood sign. The observatory itself is great to check out and beautiful in the evening. This is another special place for my wife and I because I proposed to her in the late evening overlooking the city, one of the best days of my life.

For lunch, we’ll head over to Clark Street Diner in Hollywood just off the 101 freeway. My wife and I find ourselves going to their bakery location in Echo Park but their diner is just as good for lunch. You’ll find classic diner dishes and friendly staff that will make your lunch experience awesome.

Afterwards we’ll grab a midday coffee at Kumquat in Highland Park. AJ and Scott lifted the coffee service game to a different level. Their professionalism and attention to detail behind the bar is unmatched. My wife and I love coming here for their drinks, a personal favorite of ours is the Hong Kong Milk Tea – it’s amazing.

Of course you can’t visit LA without going to the beach. We’re fortunate to have awesome weather in Los Angeles and great beaches. I’d say we grab some snacks from LA Homefarm and head to the beach in Malibu at El Matador, it’s one of my favorite tucked away beaches. It’s small but the beach is beautiful.

Finally for a special dinner we’ll go to Damian in the Arts District. My wife and I enjoy coming here for special occasions and the food is delicious. You’ll find Mexican dishes prepared at a high caliber with locally sourced ingredients. LA has many Mexican food spots but Damian just presents it at a high scale with true authenticity. It’s not often we come here but when we do it leaves us inspired.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family and friends – probably a common response but its very true. My family continues to push me to pursue this coffee project in times that I’ve doubted if this could really happen or be sustainable, and my close friends that have supported me in my pop ups and for referring me to other friends for catering services at events. It’s sweet to see how those close around you believe in what you are pursuing to create and believe in it.

The team behind LA Homefarm in Glassell Park, Lauri and her team have been really gracious in letting me pop up on Saturdays and serve the neighborhood. The shop itself is great with amazing seasonal provisions and farm to table ingredients.

Finally last shoutout to my wife, my number one fan and reason why this project exists.

Website: https://Hercoffee.co

Instagram: @hercoffeebar

Other: Feel free to reach out to us at danny@hercoffee.co for any inquiries or anything else!

Image Credits
Juana – Kollectiv Food Studio
Johnny De La Mora – Freelance