In Los Angeles, where coffee shops often blur together in minimalist palettes and muted aesthetics, UCLA alumna Gefen Skolnick’s Couplet Coffee has built a reputation for doing the opposite. With vibrantly chromatic interiors, innovative drinks and a strong focus on community connection, the brand has carved out a distinct space in a crowded market scene.
BruinLife’s Victoria Lu sat down with Skolnick to find out about the best means for good beans in bringing specialty coffee to the LA community.
BruinLife: What was the inspiration behind the name “Couplet Coffee?”
Gefen Skolnick: I chose the name because I — especially when I was at UCLA and I was at SMC — really liked going to these poetry nights. It was a thing where I kind of tried my best to always plan my schedule around going to a weekly poetry night in LA and it was the thing I was into for a really long time. So I kind of wanted it to draw on that — I was looking for a poetic word and I really liked that there was the alliteration with ‘couplet’ and coffee, as well as how the word has ‘couple’ in it. ‘Couplet’ — it’s like a cute word. There’s a lot of ways to extend it outside of that.
BL: How did your UCLA experience shape how you think about building community through a physical space?
GS: I think when I was at SMC and UCLA, I lived in a really tiny apartment and I never really wanted to be there. So I was always just hanging out at coffee shops and then I became friends with a ton of the baristas at the shops, literally here in Santa Monica and also at UCLA and nearby. And I was also involved in a lot of the clubs there, and I feel like physical spaces — I graduated in 2020, so it was like right before things just really went fully on Zoom — everything was still tied to physical spaces, like clubs and meetings and gatherings, and all of it was just more geared towards that. So I started [Couplet Coffee] in COVID, and I felt we really needed to go back to that, and I do want to create physical spaces that feel way better than the ones that I went to at Westwood Village and the ones nearby. I really wished to create the friendliest, most welcoming space I could, to not only foster connection and community but also make it bright and fun while having fun, weird retail and drinks with a focus on quality at the same time.
BL: Have you seen the coffee industry shift in terms of representation and inclusivity since you started?
GS: I think it’s funny — when we first sort of launched our packaging to market, people were like, ‘What the hell is this brand, and what is this girl doing?’ We got a lot of flak, and then everybody — including some of the big companies — started adopting very similar vibes and illustrations. We definitely had a small part in pushing that forward. I think people have noticed that it worked, and there’s even bigger brands who came about pretty similar time frames to us who cited to folks that I know, like, ‘yeah, Couplet was a big inspiration.’ I think we need more vibrant, friendly coffee brands.
BL: What has been your most experimental marketing decision?
GS: Well, first — before the physical stores — we did like a ton of limited edition drops with artists. That’s kind of how we got our name out. We did candles, we did glassware, we did all these things and they were in collaboration. It was kind of inspired by streetwear drops in fashion. Before we launched the official website, we just did limited edition drops of different miscellaneous items and built a following through that. We went viral a couple times. Everyone was excited for what we were going to do next, and I really tried to do it once a month, which was crazy, but it’s what I did. That’s probably the best thing I could have done because it was really weird and funny that someone in coffee was doing it. People will wait in lines outside when we do pop-ups with beauty brands. I don’t even think it’s about the product. People can buy like a $20 item anywhere — I think they just kind of want to be there and be in the community. That’s primarily what we’re seeing. It’s like fun to be a part of something.
BL: What’s your long-term vision for Couplet, and how do you approach expansion in such a saturated market?
GS: We’re definitely opening more stores, which is fun, but we’re very particular about where we open and how we open it. If you go to the Santa Monica location — if you go to the Echo Park location — it’s like a very different vibe, very different store, different retail. It’s just kind of tailored to the community there. I feel like the Santa Monica one makes sense for Santa Monica, where it feels like an open area with a communal table for students nearby and a lot of kid’s items, since there’s always kids and families sitting there with people who do arts and crafts. Every time we look for a new location, we really feel like there’s a need there for a space like us — but also a need for our offerings, where you can both get great coffee on its own, great matcha on its own, but also the fun and funky.
BL: Do you have a favorite collaboration?
GS: One of my favorite collaborations that we did was with this influencer — his name is PaulReacts. We made a custom drink to launch his drops, and the drink, Strawberry Sensation, is still on the menu. It’s been like eight months probably. The drink is basically a strawberry matcha with vanilla cream top – it’s very good. That was a favorite because we’ve remained friends with their team, and it just worked really well.
BL: What advice do you have for Bruins interested in starting a business?
GS: I think what I should have done a little bit better is tapping in way more with former Bruins. There’s a bunch of alumni organizations and places that connect students to alumni, and I never really took advantage of that. Getting involved in clubs — I was part of a student-run venture capital firm — that was probably the number one reason why I was able to be an entrepreneur pretty quickly. If there’s anything venture capital-related, I think it’s always good to start there so you can understand how people do things and why people invest in certain people and so on. You can understand the mechanics before you go off and start your own project, which is difficult if you don’t know a couple people who can help you on your journey. And also, it’s not easy. It seems like we’re expanding out of nowhere, but I’ve been doing this since 2021. So it’s been a minute.
For Skolnick, Couplet Coffee is not just about drinks — it’s about building spaces people want to return to. In an ever-bustling coffee landscape, a unique, inclusive focus on community may just be the missing ingredient to crafting the perfect cup of coffee.
