After relocating from Israel to California in 2017, Alin and Roee launched Afuga Coffee as a mobile coffee bar doing provate and corporate events and curated gift box services. Roee brought with him two decades of experience running pop-up coffee bars for events; Alin, a background in business and an eye for aesthetics that would soon become the brand’s signature. What began as a specialty catering service for private and corporate functions quickly evolved into the brand we know and love today.
When the pandemic brought events to a halt, the couple did what resilient founders do—they pivoted. With gatherings off the table, they leaned into shipping coffee, chocolates, and treats that companies could send to employees now working from home. Soon after, they made another bold move: relocating to Austin, Texas, where the pace was different, the energy familiar, and the community ripe for something special.
Two years ago, they opened the first Afuga Coffee brick-and-mortar in Austin. A second location in Hutto followed soon after, each infused with the same attention to detail, high product quality, and casual intimacy that had set their mobile bar apart. For Alin and Roee, every step forward was deliberate, shaped by long days in the shop, learning what made regulars linger, and what kind of coffee made them come back.
Their approach is deeply hands-on. They remain involved in the day-to-day operations, often working side-by-side behind the bar. What resulted was a shop that feels less like a business and more like an extension of their home, where customers are known by name and newcomers are folded into the rhythm with ease.
”We really love what we are doing. This job is really fun in the way we connect people, and we give a great product for people. We really do everything with a lot of passion and love.”
Afuga’s approach to business mirrors the way they make their coffee—carefully crafted, intuitive, and unafraid to change course. When it came time to choose a point-of-sale system, they approached it the same way.
“We were trying out several POS systems,” Alin recalls, “and ultimately landed on Dripos because of how much more intimate it felt—like us, a small business. We wanted a connection and the answers and attention when we need them, and that was what we got.”
In a space that often feels dominated by impersonal tech, Dripos felt refreshingly human. From onboarding to late-night customer service calls, Alin and Roee found that what they valued in their own brand—responsiveness, transparency, a sense of care—was echoed in the way Dripos operated.
“There is always someone that will answer our questions, our calls. Especially at the beginning, we had a lot of those. It’s always nice to have someone, a real person, who is available and wants to help—and that’s exactly what we got. Even our staff knows: if there’s an issue, they can just call Dripos directly. They don’t need to go through layers—it’s fast, human, and effective.”
It’s not just the service that keeps them loyal. The reporting tools have become an integral part of their daily operations. Alin uses the sales reports every day to understand which products are selling, while Roee manages the logistics and financial side. “It’s simple, it’s clean, and it works,” she says. “That’s all we need.”
They’ve also embraced the loyalty program. “It works really well for us,” Alin notes. “We don’t do coupons or complicated promotions, but the loyalty system helps bring people back. And it feels natural, like something that rewards customers without needing to shout about it.”
As for the future, Afuga is always looking for opportunities. “We never stay in the same place,” Alin says. Their mobile coffee bar is still active, and new locations aren’t out of the question. What’s certain is that whatever they do next, it will be grounded in the same philosophy that’s guided them since day one: quality, intimacy, and a kind of quiet confidence that makes even a first-time customer feel like they’ve come home.
“If you love what you’re doing,” Alin says, “every day feels like progress—even if no two days are ever the same.”
