On the wall of Ground Hideout Coffee in downtown Long Beach, there’s an important photo on the wall. In it, one of Andrea Bonilla’s two brothers stands next to a coffee plant on a farm where they used to roast and sell their beans locally.
It’s a reminder, Bonilla explained, of where their dream began and how it’s grown into a successful, meticulously-run family business that now serves up sandwiches, espresso and popular seasonal drinks like their Brown Butter Latte and Candy Cane Mocha.
“My family in Honduras, we had a coffee farm, so we’ve always been around coffee,” said Bonilla.
The family arrived in the United States in 2004 with the dream of building their own business and settled in Long Beach, but it wasn’t until 2016 that the idea of a coffee shop began to form. They secured a storefront at 356 E Fourth St. in February 2019, Bonilla said, but it was a struggle to get the sign-offs they needed to open.
“It was very stressful. Long Beach didn’t make it easy to get all your permits,” Bonilla said, adding that the Health Department was the toughest part of the process and that the family paid rent for months before being allowed to sell their first cup of coffee.
When Ground Hideout finally launched, the menu was simple: coffee and pastries. But as the shop found its rhythm, the family began adding a small selection of proudly made-in-house food items to their growing menu, such as their sunrise sandwich, turkey panini and their caprese melt.
Bonilla said that the goal has always been to serve items that are “fresh and made with love” because the family genuinely loves what they do.
Bonilla, who oversees the shop’s day-to-day operations and develops new drinks, said she keeps a close eye on consistency, making sure every barista follows the recipes exactly as they’re designed to ensure quality.
Behind the counter, each shot is weighed and timed by hand on a semi-automatic espresso machine. The shop uses ristretto shots, a shorter, more concentrated pull of espresso that gives their drinks a richer and smoother flavor. Beyond their day-to-day, seasonal drinks have become one of many defining features of Ground Hideout Coffee.
Bonilla began creating seasonal menus because smaller coffee shops rarely offered them at the time.
She wanted customers to have fun and flavorful options outside of the larger, well-known coffee chains like Starbucks.
She also loves the idea of a drink that not only looks good but tastes good and “where you can taste the coffee and the flavors.”
Their Orange Cardamom Latte is a year-round favorite, and their Cookie Butter Drinks have quickly become a standout in their winter drink collections.
The Bonilla family has plans to expand within the next year and a half and said they could not be more grateful for the community support.
Ground Hideout Coffee is at 356 E. Fourth St. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.