Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 5-2-17

Features
Ammerida Coffee: Black-Owned And Operated In East Tampa On THAP Campus
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
For Abdul and Quay Merida success smells like a medium dark roast with hints of Merlot and choco- late, also known as Oh-Jo.
It’s just one of the flavors produced by Ammerida Coffee, a Tampa-based company owned by the father and son duo.
And after nearly 20 years of oper- ating on the sales side of the business, the pair now is selling the company’s distinctive brews out of a brick-and- mortar shop on the city’s east side.
Located as an anchor business at the Tampa-Hillsborough Action Plan’s (THAP) 5508 Co-Working and Collab- oration Exchange, Ammerida Coffee Shop @5508 is a new venture for the Meridas, who for years have owned and operated a roaster and warehouse in Orlando.
The coffee produced there has been sold to grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels in the Central Florida area.
Business was good and the Meri- das weren’t looking to expand into a restaurant. But when Abdul was ap- proached about opening a coffee shop housed in a former storage-facility- turned-incubator space off Hillsbor- ough Avenue, he was intrigued.
It’s a return to familiar ter- ritory for Abdul, who owned a coffee shop in Bradenton for two years in the 1990s.
So far, the second time around is prov- ing to be sweet, too.
From left to right: Abdul Merida, Kyne- sha King, Arielle King, and Evan King.
nated by all things coffee.
“I wanted to learn every- thing I could about the coffee business,” he said.
Some years later, Quay joined his fa- ther in the busi- ness. Today, the two divide the responsibilities
years ago. It was a smart match: Abdul had years of experience in business and agriculture; King was looking to learn all he could about both.
So when the Meridas decided to move forward with the coffee shop, placing King as its head seemed like a natural fit.
But King was skeptical.
“I had zero interest in anything to do with coffee,” he said.
That changed once he saw the full scope of the Meridas vision for the shop and how it fit into their overall plan for the Ammerida brand, he said.
“I figured out I had a love for coffee that I’ve never had before,” he said.
Judging by the increased foot traf- fic to 5508 since the coffee shop’s opening, customers also are in love, said Steve Marshall, who oversees the incubator program.
“It’s been tremendous,” he said. “The coffee shop adds to the presence and meets a great need for the cam- pus.”
It’s great fit for Ammerida Coffee as well, Abdul said.
“Not only do we come in and in- spire dreams, we can make it a real- ity,” he said. “We see it as a great opportunity to really impact this com- munity.”
“We have
discovered that the community is dis- covering us,” he said. “I am over- whelmed at the response and absolute love that’s pouring out.”
A graduate of Alabama State Uni- versity, Abdul went to work for Gen- eral Motors right out of college.
But the future entrepreneur knew Detroit was just a pit-stop.
“I always wanted to own my own business,” he said.
After meeting his wife – a native Floridian – the two married and moved to the Sunshine State. Abdul started a trucking business and stud- ied everything he could about import- ing and exporting goods.
It was following a work trip to Costa Rica that Abdul became fasci-
of running the company, with Quay mapping out the plan to see Abdul’s visions and ideas come to fruition.
Quay, who was raised not far from the shop’s location, said he was open to the coffee shop because he realized it’s a catalyst for a host of other initia- tives, such as a distribution center, that can spring Ammerida Coffee – and East Tampa – forward.
“(The coffee shop) is really an an- chor to say ‘hey, there’s other things to be done’,” he said.
In addition to being a boon for Am- merida’s brand, the coffee shop also has been the ideal training ground for its manager, Evan King.
Abdul took King under his wing as his protégé after the two met a few
Hillsborough County Women’s Hall Of Fame Induction
The Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held on Friday, March 24, 2017, at the Tampa Convention Center.
Three ladies were chosen for induction: Carol DeWitt Morsani, philanthropist and community leader; the late Gwendolyn Stephenson, the longest serving presi- dent of Hillsborough Community College (1997-2010); and Geraldine McKinnon Twine, who defied various barriers in the segregated south, acquired professional cre- dentials, attained academic degrees, and continues to provide valuable volunteer services to the community. (Photos by Frederick Harris)
Honoree Carol Marsoni
Representing the Stephenson family were: widower of Dr. Stephenson, Steve Stephenson, Gail Guy, Jason Stephenson and Eleanor Teborn.
with her Marsoni.
husband,
Frank
The honorees: Carol Marsoni,
Geraldine Twine and Steve
Stephenson, who accepted the
recognition for his late wife, Dr. Ken and Beverly Lewis at- Gwendolyn Stephenson. tended the ceremony.
Jennifer Whelihan, Nicole Travis, Elaine Howell and Margie and the Honorable Judge Barbara Bellware were among the Twine Thomas were in attendance. guests.
Honoree Geraldine Twine is shown, seated, with members of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Front row, L-R: Pamela Ravenel, Felicia Gilmore-Long, Barbara Ragin, Sylvia Marion-Carley, Geraldine Twine (honoree), Deloris Lewis, Judge Barbara Twine- Thomas (honoree’s daughter), Josephine Townsend, Molbert Scrivens, and Nicole Tarvis. Back row, L-R: CaSandra Washington, Ruby Gadsden, Estrellita Berry, Debra Duggins, Orathai Northern, Eleanor Taborn, Frances Sykes, Carolyn Lewis, Cassandra Boothe, Sharon Miller, and not shown, Belinda Lawson, Gamma Theta Omega Chapter photographer.
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