OWENSBORO, Ky. — In Owensboro, a minority business coalition has formed and will provide resources for local entrepreneurs who are a part of a minority group, whether it be based on gender or race. 

As the owner of Kahawa Java, Ticy Cox has been serving up fresh coffee to the Owensboro community since 2022.

She said, “Our motto is ‘the pattern of coffee and conversation.’ So when they come in, we want them to put all their electronics down and want them to have a genuine conversation.”

Cox was on hand during a recent announcement by the Owensboro Chamber of Commerce—establishing a minority business coalition. The goal is to provide resources and better connect their local entrepreneurs to business workshops and other opportunities.

Cox said, “It’s needed. It’s been needed for a very long time.”

Cox has been pursuing her coffee shop dreams for years. Originally, she wanted to sell her java from a coffee trailer. But the night before she would have gotten a trailer from Nashville, she saw an empty room waiting to be snatched up and refurbished.

She said, “There were no walls or anything, no walls, no ceiling, nothing like that.”

But she was confident that she could turn it into something amazing.

Cox said, “As soon as I walked in, I said ‘This is the place. We’re going to have a brick and mortar.’”

But Cox couldn’t do the work by herself. She partnered with her daughter, Ayanna, to help her run the business.

The two work hand-in-hand. Cox works on the business side of things, and Ayanna makes sure the aesthetics look up to date.

Ayanna Cox said, “My mom, when it comes to the back-end of things, she’s amazing.”But she added, “Obviously, as a mom and daughter duo, you’re gonna bump heads sometimes.”

But for these two, the shop is just another way to strengthen their bond.