Erubey Robles initially disliked the taste of matcha, due to its pungent taste and earthy tones.

Four pop-up events and countless beverages later, he developed an acquired taste for not only matcha, but business ownership as well.

What started off with a $500 at-home espresso maker became a quest of devotion for an evolving business. It also became a love letter to his wife in the form of a palatable, daily fix.

Erubey Robles is one of the co-owners of Zion Coffee House, a mobile coffee and matcha cart based in San Diego. He started the business alongside his wife, Elena Robles, who he said originally pitched the idea of starting a business.

“She is more of a matcha person,” Erubey said. “We started the business because it’s something she really wanted to do, and I decided I wanted to support that dream of hers.”

Small business ownership was a foreign concept to Erubey.

While at San Diego State University, he planned to pursue law with a degree in criminal justice. However, shortly before graduating in spring 2025, he decided this career pathway was not something he wanted for himself.

“I was a little hesitant because [starting a business] is a big thing,” Erubey said. “It is a very saturated market … but I’m glad we took that leap of faith.”

Erubey now feels confident in his shift of career pathways, thanks to the initial push from Elena.

“It’s crazy, to put it in simple terms,” Erubey said. “Especially because [Zion Coffee House] is something that me and my wife are doing together.”

From the countertops to the business cards, Erubey has had a hand in materializing the couple’s collective vision. The manifestation and aesthetics of the cart became his artistic outlet. His ability to create, along with support from loved ones, has allowed Zion Coffee House to come to life.

“[Erubey] designed our logo,” Elena said. “The painting and designing of the actual cart, that’s more him. I might have an idea, but I definitely don’t have the application to create those things.”

Erubey had a previous barista job before opening the business, and passed on his learning experiences to his wife.

“[December 2024] is when we really started playing with flavors,” Elena said. “Erubey started teaching me how to use the [espresso] machine, how to pull shots and all the technical stuff that I didn’t know.” 

The couple spent the next year testing out drinks. Not only do they create these beverages themselves, they also hand craft most of the components that go into them, such as the syrups used to flavor their creations.

“A big thing with [Zion Coffee House] is that we don’t use store-bought products,” Erubey said. “That’s what we pride ourselves on, we make [the flavors] ourselves.”

The menu creation did not go without trial and error. Erubey said both his and Elena’s families served as guinea pigs in the process.

“[The business] has been able to unite both of our families pretty well,” Erubey said. “They’ve been our biggest supporters, always helping us.”

While Elena sifts the matcha into a fine powder, Erubey tops off the beverages with sweet cold foam. The pair stand side by side in their matching uniforms, and the support they provide one another is evident.

“Erubey is that balance for me,” Elena said. “Kind of like a yin and yang.”

Erubey said he is still trying to balance the business with working full-time.

“Some weeks, I was [working] over 50 hours while still trying to manage the cart … It’s been exhausting, but it hasn’t been bad,” Erubey said. “We are doing it together, and we have each other to support.”

Taking on the unfamiliar pathway of small-business ownership has had individual importance for Erubey, but has also expanded the walls of his relationship with Elena.

“It has really caused us to be closer to each other,” Erubey said. “It is something that we both are solving and doing together.”

Erubey and Elena’s goal is to eventually open a coffee house under the same name.

“We pretty much want to be like a house,” Erubey said. “Somewhere you could reside in peace.”