Fueled by a shared passion for cafe culture, 2024 Portola High graduate Noah Suhr and his friends turned their dreams into reality three months ago when they launched their coffee business “Thé Corner,” which operates in the form of pop-up events all over Southern California.
Running this cafe business is a relatively new passion that Suhr has recently leaned into, but he is embracing it with deep dedication and determination.
“I had no idea what coffee really was maybe a year and a half ago,” Suhr said. “Then I started working at a cafe and really loved the workplace that I was at.”
Thé Corner specializes in a variety of coffee and matcha drinks, such as a mango coconut matcha latte and a matcha einspänner. Currently, the business operates through pop-ups and other private catering events, but Suhr is looking into expanding it with plans for a physical location in a Westminster supermarket.
“We’re still just showing up to pop up events and doing all of our prep out of our homes,” Suhr said.
In the business, Suhr oversees the basic administrative work for the team. This entails acquiring various permits and networking with different vendors and locations. He also manages the creative direction of event set ups as well as researching and experimenting for new menu items.
Opening a business has its fair share of setbacks. Prior to founding Thé Corner, he parted ways with a business partner after disagreement over workload allocation. As he begins this new business, Suhr said that he is reflecting on the progression of his journey — from being a business student at Portola High to becoming a business owner in his sophomore year of college — and how he has learned to overcome said challenges.
“The biggest struggle was failing my first business,” Suhr said. “Getting into it, my partner and I had pretty strong disagreements about how we as partners were supposed to run this business. I ended up having to leave the business without having anything to show. When you start something yourself, you can’t predict anything that’s going to happen.”
Seth Suhr, a senior at Portola High, is the younger brother of Noah Suhr. He takes pride in assisting his brother throughout his business journey and watching it flourish, according to Seth Suhr. Seth recalls some of his favorite experiences and memories when collaborating with Noah on Thé Corner.
“They experiment on new coffees all the time,” Seth Suhr said. “I’ll taste test and there was one day where I had like four pour overs and I just couldn’t sleep the entire night.”
For Portola High students who aspire to be entrepreneurs, Noah Suhr emphasizes that launching a business is no easy feat, as it requires navigating many demanding yet essential components. However, he said that the challenges are worth it because they help business owners grow.
“It’s definitely a grind if you’re in school and still working or have other obligations,” Noah Suhr said. “Opening a business is humbling, especially when you work back-to-back 16-hour days, and then no money goes into your pocket. But you have to push through that.”
