Asheville’s first Black-owned coffee shop is a place where you can get more than a cup of coffee. Grind Coffee Co. will also be a place for co-working, events, team meetings, and business planning.

Located in Asheville’s River Arts District,  GRIND was created by entrepreneur and nonprofit leader J Hackett, and chef and investor Gene Ettison.

Grind Coffee Co. will feature Ettison’s Ashe-hole doughnut from Chef Ettison, branded coffee, and other house-made pastries. The co-owners said the space will also nurture entrepreneurship with a focus on the Black community, as reported in USA Today.

“Entrepreneurship is one of the quickest ways a marginalized person can build wealth,” said Hackett. “Instead of working a 9-5, they can take their own ideas and build a product they can sell, and that’s how it’s been done for years.”

Business owners will be able to use Grind for their official business address, receive mail and packages in secure mailboxes, and utilize basic business needs, including printers, fax machines, and meeting spaces.

“We wanted a space where people that look like us could come and have the services needed to support their businesses,” Hackett said. “We want to help Black and Brown businesses grow. Oftentimes the Black business owner or entrepreneur does not have a commercial address—or they don’t have access to a fax machine or a space for a conference or meeting.”