Gone are the days of Zack Follett the linebacker, making a big hit on the football field, replaced now by Follett leading a different team, in a much different setting.
"I went on a mission trip to London," explained Follett on Monday. "I'm sitting in an authentic coffeehouse, drinking an authentic cappuccino, and I realized after tasting this that there's nothing in my home town that tastes like this."
Enter "Kuppa Joy," a coffeehouse in the heart of Old Town Clovis specializing in authentic coffee and teas.
"Everything is organic farmed, so organic fair trade coffee," said Follett. "And what you do is how you roast it. We have proper education. Coffee, if it's done correctly, there should be notes of flavor in it.
And to create a flavorful experience unlike any other in the Central Valley, Follett points to added touches like the pour-over bar.
"What a pour-over does is it makes a single cup of coffee for that individual's liking," said Follett. "How you pour the water into the grounds affects the taste of the coffee. Three minutes later you've got yourself a "Kuppa Joy!"
At Monday morning's soft opening, the organic ingredients made an impression on a Kingsburg resident who made the 30-minute drive to experience "Kuppa Joy" for herself.
"This is the best chai I've ever had," said Renee Spomer. "There's nothing like the honey that they use, the organic real honey, and it was sweet and it had a flavor like I've never had."
And with the official grand opening set for December 21, the former Cal football star hopes the word will spread, and "Kuppa Joy" will be here to stay.
"The best thing about Clovis and Fresno is that they support their own," said the Clovis high school alum. "They want to be local. The Bay Area is a great place to live but as far as being around friends and family to support my first business venture, there's no better place."
