I am a total coffee addict. I like big cups, and I cannot lie. Hot, black, and preferably made with fresh grounds, it’s what fuels my days as a mom. However, I had to cut back majorly while I was breastfeeding H, and made sure to time my cup of Joe perfectly, because he always got so wound up after I drank it. Now that I’m pregnant again, one of the first things my OB (and now Midwife) told me to do was to seriously cut back on my morning (and afternoon) cup(s) of glorious hot elixir of life.

I remembered a conversation I had with Sharon, a family friend, a few months ago about her new business endeavor of a pregnancy and breastfeeding friendly coffee and reached out when I saw the business she and her partner Emilie started was up and running! I am officially through my first bag of 1/2 Caf coffee and can happily attest to the fact that it not only tastes great, but but also doesn’t leave me with any heart burn either – which is something most pregnant mamas know is a huge deal. Thank goodness, because this mama was missing her liquid lifeline! 

Mommee Coffee

The women behind Mommee Coffee:

Emilie:

Emilie first conceived of Mommee Coffee while on an 8 hour road trip from San Francisco to San Diego during her second pregnancy. She needed to find a way to keep her cherished morning cup and be in control of exactly what she was putting in her body.  By the time she arrived in San Diego, Emilie had the name Mommee Coffee and the beginnings of a vision for providing moms and moms-to-be with a delicious coffee specifically geared to their unique needs. She began researching and blending beans and realized that she needed to share her discoveries with moms everywhere.

Emilie has always daydreamed of entrepreneurial ventures but the thing that made her get serious was reading Timothy Ferriss’ The 4 Hour Workweek. The book challenges the reader to throw away assumptions about things we have to do and obstacles that prevent us from doing what we desire. It describes specific and actionable ways to establish a revised life vision and make the vision a reality. Her vision is freedom of schedule and geographic location while working on something that she is passionate about. Enter Mommee Coffee.

For Emilie, finding balance is so critical and so difficult. She is constantly taking inventory of how the most important things in her life are doing and making adjustments, and she has tried to eliminate or reduce those things that are not important through trying everything from meal boxes to laundry service to telecommuting more frequently. Some of the things have worked out and some haven’t. Emilie still has moments where she feels completely overwhelmed every day. In those moments she puts everything down and snuggles her babies, physically when she can and mentally when they’re not within reach.

Part of finding her balance is making sure she gets her time outside with her family, hiking, running with her Bob stroller, or, if her son gets to choose, trying to reunite caterpillars with their families in their backyard.

Sharon: 

Both of Sharon’s parents are entrepreneurs and are her inspiration. She saw how hard they worked but also how they had the flexibility to come home when she or her sister were sick, take long vacations with the family and generally dictate where their time and energy was spent. Working for others has its merits. There is a lot of ease and comfort that comes from a steady paycheck and knowing that an entire business’ success does not rest on your own shoulders. However, shedding sweat and tears for one’s own personal endeavor brings with it an amazing sense of accomplishment and the successes, whether big or small, seem grand. 

And as for Sharon, she is still trying to figure the whole balance thing out. The short answer is that she doesn’t. The balance ebbs and flows. As a freelancer, sometimes she has a full-time job and sometimes has a part-time job, however she also always works on Mommee Coffee. And then try and fit in eating, sleeping 8 hours and pondering exercising. Things do slip. She uses a croq pot a lot and eats out more than she would like. A calendar and constant re-assessing of priorities are key for Sharon. She has no idea how Emilie does all of this and with a family. 

Ecstatic dance, volunteering for the Crisis and Suicide Hotline of Alameda County, seeing friends, a weekly improv comedy class, yoga and walking around the lake by downtown Oakland are all part of Sharon’s self care and things she likes to do in her not-so-frequent down time. She also just loves lying outside and doing absolutely nothing, and reading a novel by candlelight at night.

Mommee Coffee favorites and goals:

While Emilie and Sharon are very proud of all their coffee, they are extra excited about Mommee Coffee’s Quarter Caf coffee, and think it is revolutionary! A lot of people have weaned off caffeine but find that the demands of motherhood require a little extra boost. Mommee Coffee’s Quarter Caf coffee is exactly the support they need. They really hope Quarter Caf takes off and when it does, Emilie and Sharon hope people know it is the Mommee community that pioneered it!

Along with creating a wonderful coffee for Mommees, Emilie and Sharon are also striving to create a supportive, empowered community for moms and mom-to-be’s. I love this idea, as being a mother can be a lonely journey, and I don’t know where I would be today without the tribe of women I have been lucky enough to surround myself with. Mommee Coffee has amazing weekly bloggers who write on topics like easy recipes for the family, craft ideas to do with the kids, exercises for self-care, and funny tales that mothers can relate to, so make sure you check out their Mommee Blog and sign up for their newsletter to keep informed of new posts, and all things Mommee Coffee! 

Where to buy Mommee Coffee: 

I am so excited to share that Mommee Coffee is now available on Amazon! Click below to shop: