Raleigh, North Carolina, will always feel like home to me. Although I moved around growing up, I spent my high school years and summers between college semesters in the Triangle. While my parents lived about 40 minutes south of downtown, I went to high school in North Raleigh and played tennis in Cary, so you could say my tire tracks covered most of Wake County.
Since I no longer live in the Tar Heel State, whenever I make it back to visit, there’s one place I head to first. (I even worked there briefly, so my car practically drives itself.) Jubala Coffee is a full-service coffee shop where the food rivals the coffee drinks, and a people-first mentality sets it apart from the rest.
A Space to Celebrate Life
Raleigh native Andrew Cash opened Jubala (which means “celebrate” in Swahili) in 2011 with just five employees at its original Lafayette Village location. Today, it has grown to five locations and around 100 employees, but its mission remains the same: “to create spaces for people to come and celebrate life,” says General Manager Shane Hess.
“People are really what separates us,” Hess explains. “We spend a lot of time pouring into the people who come into this space, as well as those who work at the shops—caring for them, but also teaching and equipping them to make coffee well.” It’s an approach that prioritizes connection over perfection, and it shows the moment you walk through the door…