ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — A new coffee shop in Oro Valley is serving more than drinks — it’s also telling a story about starting over.
For Brenna and Eddy Yunkherr, coffee has been part of their lives for years. The high school sweethearts spent more than a decade in the corporate coffee world, building and running multiple locations across the country.
But over time, Brenna says the direction of that business began to change.
“They wanted to go public so we were like, it’s not for us anymore,” she said.
That decision led the couple to walk away and start from scratch, opening their own independent coffee shop, Desert Drifter.
The Oro Valley location opened April 24 and marks their second shop in Tucson. Their first location, on Speedway Boulevard, opened in October.
The Oro Valley shop has only been open for a few days, but already, the owners say their goal is to do things differently.
“That’s a lot of the messaging behind a lot of public coffee shops. You have all these big name brands and they go oh yeah, we support community, we love community. But what are the actions right?” Brenna said.
Brenna says that focus on action is at the center of what they’re building, from the ingredients they use to how they give back.
“Desert Drifter kind of rises from the ashes of corporate coffee. That hometown feel, that’s really where Desert Drifter thrives,” said Zach Gleason, the shop’s chief operating officer.
Part of that approach includes partnering with local nonprofits. Brenna says the shop creates seasonal drinks tied to different organizations, with proceeds going directly back to them.
“Every season we meet with a nonprofit. We come together, design a coffee, they name it and then all profits of that drink goes back to them,” she said.
She said one of the groups they are currently working with is Pima Animal Care Center, also known as PACC.
Brenna didn’t originally expect to be part of the business. She said she was attending the University of Arizona to become a teacher when the idea for the shop came together.
“I was actually going to the U of A to be a teacher, so I didn’t know I was going to be involved. But here we are,” she said.
Now, the couple is expanding quickly. A third location is expected to open in May, with a fourth planned by the end of the summer.
Still, Brenna says starting over came with uncertainty.
“There’s been a lot of jokes about having to end up back on his dad’s couch at some point because we don’t know… the amount of support we’ve received has far surpassed our expectations,” she said.
That support, they say, is what’s helping turn their risk into something sustainable — and something rooted in the community they now call home.
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Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
