Westside Grounds Coffee Company
Westside Grounds was founded in 2022 by owner Jewel Wakefield. Jewel was inspired to start Westside Grounds after traveling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on a mission trip with her church. While serving at the Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity, Jewel participated in a “coffee ceremony” that changed her life.
It is customary in Ethiopia to greet honored guests and welcome them with a coffee ceremony. In this ritual, you watch as your host gathers the fresh green coffee beans and roasts them over an open flame before grinding them to perfection and pouring you the boldest, most robust cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted. It was in this moment, Jewel realized that something as small as a cup of coffee had the power to transcend language barriers, cultural difference and even social economic barriers.
As a licensed clinical social worker, Jewel has dedicated her life to service. So often mental health is a topic that is dismissed within the black community. Most young adults were told that seeking help outside of the church means that there is something “wrong” with you and that you are “crazy”. The shame and stigma attached to mental health counseling is one that Jewel sought to dismantle. As an advocate for change and social justice, Jewel dreamed of one day opening a private practice that would not only educate but serve as a source of support in the black community. As a member of a marginalized and disenfranchised group of people, Jewel realized the rates of mental health diagnoses and even death as a result of untreated mental health issues were surging. As a solution, Jewel wanted to create a safe place, that encouraged men and women of color to seek help and trust that someone, just like them, would support them on their journey to recovery.
As an avid coffee lover and connoisseur, Jewel knew that coffee would be an instrumental tool in building not only her private practice but also her community. Gathering what she learned while serving in Ethiopia, Jewel decided to become the change she wanted to see in the world. Inspired to share the rich history of single origin coffee with the world, Westside Grounds Coffee Company was born. Not only would this company share amazing coffee with the world, it would also serve as a beacon of hope in the black community, dedicated to educating and supporting mental health awareness initiatives through direct counseling services and outreach.
