FSU Panama City students brew up a new coffee shop in Panama City Beach
PANAMA CITY BEACH — There's a new spot in Panama City Beach where students can spend their downtime over a cup of coffee.
Techspresso Lounge & Cafe is Bay County's newest coffee shop, and was created by six FSU Panama City students.
Jamiel Vadell, FSU Panama City professor and owner of Techspresso, said the journey began as a semester project in his entrepreneur class for the students to design a coffee shop with all details included, from the name of the shop to the menu.
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And with the heavy effort put into the project, Vadell decided to open a coffee shop exactly how the students created it.
"I challenged them to develop a coffee shop, and they immediately jumped on this project," he said. "So this was solely built on their vision of what they would love to see. They did a great job with their ideas, so I decided to fund it to open a business."
The intent of the project was to allow his students to experience the logistics behind opening a new business. While there is no shared profit among the students due to university policies, they were allowed the first choice to work there.
Techpressso sits at 7948 Front Bead Road in Panama City Beach and operates from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. The shop is a cashless experience and accepts credit, debit, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, CashApp and Venmo.
The menu focuses on a variety of hot and iced beverage options, including cold brews, espresso, teas and Lotus energy drinks. The shop also sells custom-made pastries. Vadell said the more popular selections include a latte with vanilla, coconut, espresso milk and caramel drizzle called Java Script, and a latte with white chocolate sauce, milk, whipped cream and caramel drizzle called Doc's Choice.
Closer look at Techpresso
The journey took roughly a year for the coffee shop to open. Although the business faced setbacks, from awaiting equipment arrival to a long search for available contractors, it opened just in time at the start of the fall semester.
The interior features spacious seating with an open lounge area and a stage for events and performances. In addition, the shop offers two quiet rooms: the "green" room for relaxation and the "Einstein" room for studying. The name comes from the combination of the words technology and espresso, which boasts select menu items that include a play on technological words.
While the concept is tailored toward students to have another place to socialize, work or study, Techpresso invites anyone wanting to relax and enjoy a nice brew. Tara Vadell, Techpresso's president and co-owner, said she feels confident as the business enters its second week of operating.
"In our first week open, it's been more than we expected in sales and customer traffic, and it left a really positive impact on the business," she said. "We just want to let students know that we're here to get them through the hard days and provide them that space outside their norm."
As the business grows, the owners said they plan to host events to welcome the community to the new space. Some ideas in circulation include poetry nights, karaoke and live music. Vadell said he hopes that idea behind Techspresso creates the opportunity for creatives to develop ideas out of the newest community hub.
"My theory was to remove the excuses to allow people to move forward and have a venue to shine," he concluded. "We want to encourage this business as an entrepreneur hub and a safe place where people can get creative."
For details, announcements or the full menu, visit Techspresso on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Techspresso Lounge and Cafe coffee shop opens at Panama City Beach
