The past three years have been “pretty wild” for Patrice Anwenyi, she says. They were also “pretty miraculous.”
Patrice and her husband Tweety Anweney welcomed their first child together in 2021. A year later, the couple opened Hustle Blend, a brick-and-mortar faith-based coffee shop specializing in cold brew beer. The couple juggled being business partners, youth pastors, and first-time parents.
Two years later, the Angwenyi family expanded both their family and business.
Now a family of five, the family moved from a 146-square-foot shipping container in the Historic Southside to a larger storefront at 120 St. Louis Avenue in the Near Southside neighborhood. The Angweni couple plan to use the new space to launch Hustle Smarter, an entrepreneurship program that teaches young people between the ages of 13 and 19 financial literacy and how to start their own business.
“We hope to have an impact on the entire community,” Patrice Anwenyi said. “We are truly there for the people.”
Hustle Smarter plans to partner with other local business owners interested in serving as mentors to children, teaching them public speaking skills and professional attire.
“These young kids are very entrepreneurial,” Patrice Anwenyi said. “So why can’t we just bottle it up and really grow it, why can’t we just let them know that someone is on their side?”
Patrice Anweney said she hopes the Hustle Smarter program will help teens learn how to earn money to cover everyday expenses such as transportation and food. .
“Many crimes are committed because of want,” Patrice Anwenyi said. “Hustle Smarter is going to foster that by just helping them legitimize their business and how to find different sources of income.”
The program will recruit students through schools, churches and organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Patrice Anweney said Hustle Smarter will be released in the summer.
Patrice Anweney, a historic South Side native and former Fort Worth ISD educator, got the idea to start a coffee shop one day while walking from school. When the couple started their business in 2019, they roasted coffee out of their one-bedroom apartment and sold it on Amazon.
The Angwenis family moved to selling cold brew online and opened their first store in 2022. The word “hustle” in Hustle Blend is an acronym for “Help Us See The Light Everywhere.”
“Our goal is to impact our community through the love of Jesus, and coffee is the gateway to that,” said Tweety Anweney.
Patrice Angwenyi and Tweety Angwenyi are both youth pastors at Kingdom Advancement International Ministries in the historic South Side. Just a few minutes drive from the old and new stores. Calvin L. Williams, the church’s pastor, said the Angweni couple’s choice to integrate Christianity into HustleBlend has helped their business.
“We’re not afraid of faith and put God first. We stand by that,” Williams said. “I believe a lot of their success came through that path.”
Tweety Angweni said prioritizing his faith has been critical to his family’s entrepreneurial journey and the future of HustleBlend.
“We want to see how we can positively impact this community,” Tweety Anweney said. “Spreading the love of Jesus first and then the love of coffee is going to be great. That speaks for itself, but most importantly, it makes the brand part of the community.”
Marissa Green is an American Legion member reporting on faith for The Fort Worth Report. Contact marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or @marissaygreene. At The Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independent of board members and financial supporters.Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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