Temecula’s Coffee Culture Eclipsed

The numerous eclectic independent coffee houses that were common in Temecula have all but disappeared since chain shops expanded in the area, according to local coffee lovers.

Bill Gould, former owner of Cloud Nine Coffee in Murrieta said, “I closed shortly after the economy started tanking, and it really just became almost impossible to make enough money to keep it afloat.”

According to Gould, the suffering economy was the main reason other local indie coffee shops closed their doors, but the rise of chain coffeehouses also had a detrimental effect on the indie shops.

Approximately six indie tea and coffee shops closed since the economic crisis hit, while the number of in the Temecula/Murrieta region currently exceeds 20. Other chains, such as and have a presence in these communities, though it is meager compared to the eclipsing Starbucks chain.

“As a business owner, I can’t necessarily fault the chains for trying to expand and doing a good job,” said Gould. “They do a good job of providing a cup of coffee quickly at an average price.”

Independent coffee houses tend to be a little more upscale than chain cafes, due to the specialty products they use in their beverages.

Berry Cohen, owner of on Margarita Road, said he believes independent coffee shops have a lot to offer that mainstream coffeehouses do not.

“We have the ability to do things they cant do. They’re governed [by their corporate structures]. I can accommodate you much easier,” said Cohen.

Cohen bought one of six Olivera’s that were sold off in the last few years, including a location in Wildomar that recently closed. 

Cohen said, “We have our steady clientele. I don’t rely on the traffic.” He’s even been invited to two of his customers weddings.

Many Temecula residents have lost their jobs or took cuts to their pay, and paying more than $3 for a coffee drink is not in their budgets these days, according to Gould.

“Those same guys that were making $80,000 dollars a year in the construction industry that would go in and buy a frappuccino after work are looking for work and they’re not buying a frappuccino and, they’re certainly not going into an independent coffeehouse,” said Gould. “The people that were going to those types of coffeehouses are brewing it at home or stopping by 7-11 and spending a dollar on a cup.

“They’re doing that sort of thing or they’re going to Starbucks because they got a gift card or something like that. It’s unfortunate that it ended up that way because I enjoyed my coffeehouse," he said.

Gould plans to open another coffee shop when the economy “gets a little more steam behind it,” he said.