Today we’d like to introduce you to Genny & Juan Acosta-Li.
Hi Genny & Juan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We’re a husband-and-wife duo and both proud UT alumni (Genny studied Finance & Juan Math/Econ). We started Mù Coffee in February 2025 because we wanted to share something different with Austin’s coffee community. Since then, we’ve done eight pop-ups around the city, and people really connected with our Chinese-inspired flavors like Osmanthus, Five Spice, Jasmine, and Barley, flavors that are reminiscent of Genny’s heritage and unique in the coffee scene.
Genny quit her job last year to pursue her passions, and for her, Mù Coffee combines food, culture, partnerships, and community. She brings the business, operations, and creative new flavors and also runs a local food blog Genny’s Grub Club. We’re super scrappy! Juan built our cart completely from scratch. He brings the coffee expertise from his time at Blue Bottle and now balances that with his full-time work in data science. Together, we both run the cart and serve coffee side by side.
After building momentum with pop-ups, we wanted to see what a more permanent setup could look like. That’s why we said yes to a one-month Residency at The Cauldron in West Campus, which runs through mid-September. From there, we’ll see if it makes sense to stay or maybe branch out north or south to bring Mù Coffee to more people across Austin. We’re so grateful for all the support we’ve received from the community so far, it’s what keeps us going.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We’re still figuring it out as we go. Since it’s just the two of us, we do everything ourselves. The pop-up days have been so much fun and a great way to connect with people, but they’re also exhausting when you’re setting up, running service, and tearing down all on your own. Now with our residency, we’re learning the ins and outs of partnerships with local establishments, managing inventory, and really handling all the moving parts that come with running a small business. On top of that, Juan is still working full time, so balancing everything between work, life, and coffee has been a challenge — but it’s all part of the journey.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At the heart of what we do is coffee, making sure every drink starts with quality. We’re really focused on pulling the best espresso shots possible, and we worked with a local roaster to create our own custom espresso blend that we also sell. From there, what sets us apart is the unique flavors we bring in through our in-house syrups that nod to Chinese culture — things like Osmanthus, Five Spice, Jasmine, and Barley, with new flavors coming in every week on rotation.
We like to think of Mù Coffee as a place where you can come for something truly different and interesting, or simply come for a very solid, classic espresso drink. We’re most proud of being able to bridge both worlds — staying true to specialty coffee quality while introducing flavors that connect to Genny’s heritage and bring something new to Austin’s coffee scene.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to us is building community through food and coffee. For me, food has always been a passion and a way to bring people together, and coffee has become a natural extension of that. Mù Coffee has been a way to celebrate culture, spark curiosity, and foster connection.
It’s also really important to me to explore my own passions and take risks. It took encouragement and time to get here, but stepping away from my corporate career to pursue what I love has extremely rewarding so far. I hope that by sharing our story, I can encourage others to follow their interests too — even if it feels uncertain at first.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mucoffeeatx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mucoffeeatx/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=mu+coffee+atx+google&oq=mu+coffee+atx+google&gs_lcrp=
Image Credits
These photos are our own photos
