Clevr Blends was launched in 2019 by co-founders Hannah Mendoza and Roger Coppola. Originally launched as a pop-up coffee bar for events, Clevr eventually pivoted into a just-add-water latte blend when the co-founders saw that people loved the drinks, and wanted to make them at home. They used the same ingredients from their coffee bar, but it still took one year and thousands of recipe iterations in their Santa Barbara home kitchen to perfect their first blend. Once they were happy with their product, Hannah and Roger decided to launch direct-to-consumer online. On nights and weekends, they spent 14 consecutive hours in a commercial kitchen, manually blending ingredients using a cement mixer, packing orders until 2:00am, and mopping the floors before heading home. While they were growing steadily, Hannah and Roger were about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, had somehow come across Clevr’s Golden Latte and fallen in love with it. She reached out to the company to get involved and made her first ever investment into Clevr, resulting in skyrocketing demand and a month-long waitlist for Clevr’s products. To Hannah’s and Roger’s surprise, this was soon followed by organic Instagram posts from Oprah Winfrey and Sara Blakely, both proclaiming their love for Clevr’s blends. Their sales reached all-time highs from the media attention, and though grateful for the recognition and support, Hannah and Roger continue to stay focused on what is most important to them: delicious and effective products, intentional and transparent sourcing, and a commitment to supporting food justice projects and their local community.