Star Village Coffee: Native American Owned & Family Operated
Reno's first Native American-owned coffee shop.

If you’ve been here long enough, you know that I don’t love coffee. I like to preface everything related to coffee with that fact, so you know where I’m coming from. I can appreciate the artistry behind the roasting of beans, the different aroma profiles, all of it. I just don’t do well with bitterness.

But recently while looking up local Reno-Tahoe producers for a work thing, I came across Star Village Coffee: a Native-American-owned coffee shop in the heart of Reno.

I’d emailed quite a bit with owner Joel Zuniga, who told me about how he and his twin brother Josh ran the shop, how they were trying to showcase and preserve local (and often forgotten) ingredients, and the concept of Rezonomics. In a nutshell, it’s about operating businesses in a way that benefits tribal communities. They do this both by providing opportunities to tribe members and by investing in the community directly. You can read about it in detail here.

So, when I found myself actually in Reno, Star Village Coffee was an obligatory stop.

I immediately fell in love with the interior: modern and traditional inspired (much like SVC itself) decor, plush velvet seats, and tons of natural lighting. Definitely a place I could spend hours in.

All of the ingredients used in their signature lattes are prepared right there, like the pine nut milk they make for their Pine Nut Spice Latte. Other lattes on their menu include Orange Blossom, Sage Mint, and Blueberry Lavender. They also have tea lattes such as Chai and Rose Matcha. And of course, espressos, americanos, cappuccinos and cold brews. Coffee is in the name, after all.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Star Village Coffee (@starvillagecoffee)

We only had about 30 minutes to grab a quick bite for breakfast, so I got myself a Pine Nut Latte and a banana bread to share. 

I was actually shocked at how much I liked the latte. It was bitter, sure, but it was also nutty and had a perfect amount of spice. Which ones, I couldn’t tell you, but enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy. It also wasn’t too sweet, but had I needed more sugar, there was some available on a cute little side cart that also had compostable stirrers, cutlery and napkins.

We talked to Joel a little more before we left, wishing him the best of luck with his newly-opened coffee shop. 

I’m really excited to see what they do next.

Star Village Coffee is located on 560 Mill St, Reno, Nevada, USA. Open Monday – Saturday from 7am to 3pm.