Fort Worth faith-based coffee shop aims to launch entrepreneurship program for teens 

The last three years for Patrice Angwenyi have been “pretty wild,” she said. They’ve also been “pretty miraculous, too.”

Patrice and her husband, Tweety Angwenyi, had their first child in 2021. A year later, the couple opened a brick-and-mortar faith-based coffee shop, HustleBlendz, which focuses on cold brew. The couple juggled being business partners, youth pastors and first-time parents. 

Two years later, the Angwenyis expanded both their family and business. 

The now family of five relocated their shop from a 146-square-foot shipping container in the Historic Southside to a larger storefront on 120 St. Louis Ave. in the Near Southside neighborhood. The Angwenyis plan to utilize the new space to launch Hustle Smarter, an entrepreneurial program teaching teens ages 13-19 about financial literacy and how to start their own businesses. 

“We expect to make an impact on the community altogether,” Patrice Angwenyi said. “We’re there truly for the people.” 

Hustle Smarter plans to partner with other local business owners interested in serving as mentors for the kids and teach them about public speaking skills and professional attire. 

“These young kids are extremely entrepreneurial,” Patrice Angwenyi said. “And so why can’t we bottle that and really nurture it, why can’t we let them know somebody’s on their side?” 

Patrice Angwenyi said she hopes the Hustle Smarter program can help teens learn how to make money to afford day-to-day expenses such as transportation and food. 

“A lot of crimes are committed because of lack,” Patrice Angwenyi said. “Hustle Smarter is going to nurture that through just helping them legitimize their business and how to find different streams of income.” 

The program plans to recruit students through schools, churches and organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County or Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Hustle Smarter is expected to launch in the summer, Patrice Angwenyi said. 

Patrice Angwenyi, a Historic Southside native and former Fort Worth ISD educator, got the idea to start a coffee shop when she was walking out of school one day. When the couple started the business in 2019, they were roasting coffee in their one-bedroom apartment and selling it on Amazon. 

The Angwenyis shifted to selling cold brew online and opened their first storefront in 2022. The word “hustle” in HustleBlendz is an acronym for “Help Us See The Light Everywhere.”

“Our goal is to impact our community through the love of Jesus, and the coffee is the entry point,” Tweety Angwenyi said. 

Both Patrice and Tweety Angwenyi are youth pastors at Kingdom Advancement International Ministry in the Historic Southside— just a few minutes drive from their old and new storefronts. Calvin L. Williams, pastor of the church, said the Angwenyis’ choice to integrate Christianity into HustleBlendz has been helpful to their business. 

“We put God first to where we are not afraid of our faith. We stand on that,” Williams said. “I do believe that a lot of their success has come through that avenue.” 

Tweety Angwenyi said prioritizing his faith has been crucial to his family’s entrepreneurial journey and what’s ahead for HustleBlendz.

“I want to be able to just see how we can impact this community in a positive way,” Tweety Angwenyi said. “By spreading the love of Jesus first and then of coffee is going to be great. It’s going to speak for itself but most importantly, let the brand be a part of the community.” 

Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or @marissaygreene. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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