Serving up Brazilian coffee in Dr. Phillips

As a Christian, Brazilian native Lilian Hentz wanted to include her faith in the name of her first American business — a new coffee shop in Dr. Phillips.

 She picked the word “Holy,” because she wanted her first business in America to be blessed. She decided to name the business “Holy Bean Coffee Shop,” but she made a small mistake when translating the word “bean” from Portuguese. 

Thus, Holy Grain Coffee Shop was born.

“I was surprised when I discovered that no one had this name,” she said. “Later, I discovered I translated it wrong; that’s why nobody had it,” she said, laughing. 

By the time she realized the error, most of the signs already had been installed with the name “Holy Grain Coffee Shop.” 

But in the end, it worked in her favor. Many people have come to know the shop because of its name.

The shop — a first for the budding entrepreneur — is just one of several huge life changes Hentz has tackled in the last 18 months. Although she came to the U.S. knowing English, she still is working on fluency. And, of course, there is the culture shock that comes with moving to a new country.

BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hentz and her husband, Cleber, came to the U.S. after his company moved his position to Florida. Following the move, Hentz tried to continue working remotely for a family business in Brazil. When she realized that wasn’t working, she decided to follow a lifelong dream — owning her own coffee shop.

While in Brazil, she took several coffee breaks each day with her husband at a local coffee shop. In the afternoons, she enjoyed coffee with her mother. 

“I always love coffee, because for me, coffee is associated with relaxing, with friends, with time to think about something important,” she said. 

After moving, she missed the frequent coffee outings but enjoyed locally owned coffee shops. Although she enjoyed coffee, she didn’t know much about making it, so she attended the Texas Coffee School to learn. 

As she improved her grasp of the language, learned more about U.S. culture and worked to open her first business, she learned about making good coffee. 

Later, she hired chef Sueli Fleury to plan the menu, and she ordered bread from local bakeries in Orlando and Winter Garden. A friend, Marilene Auge, helped her find the space for the business and plan the décor. 

BUSINESS MIXER

There are some cultural differences she adopted into her coffee shop to appeal to U.S. culture. In Brazil, 12-ounce drinks were usually the largest size. In the U.S., the 12-ounce size is normally the smallest. 

Ultimately, the shop blends some drinks and food from Brazil with coffee shop favorites that those more familiar with U.S. coffee shops will enjoy. Patrons can purchase large coffees, as well as the smaller Brazilian cappuccino. 

In the U.S., Hentz has looked to local coffee shops such as Axum Coffee and Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen for inspiration and hopes her shop will provide another local option for drinking coffee and spending time with others. 

Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].

LILIAN’S PICKS

Here are three things to try if you visit Holy Grain Coffee Shop:

Brazilian cappuccino, which has more chocolate than coffee

Cheese bread made at the Cheese Bread Factory in Orlando

Roast beef sandwich