‘Twelve Twenty Coffee’ Pivots to Mobile

Twelve Twenty Coffee’s new mobile platforms are easily spotted around the City of Falls Church these days. 

On weekends, their cozy coffee-brown trailer often serves delicious seasonal cafe treats in the courtyard at Founders Row and this past Sunday was spied vending goodies at the Botanalogica Makers Market. Their cart operations also frequently give guest appearances, or serve local special events and pop-ups. 

In addition to serving the highest quality cafe beverages and fare, however, the story of Twelve Twenty’s business is one of adaptation and resilience. 

And, it’s a tale of romance.

The Falls Church Independent interviewed Co-Founder and Owner, Victoria Smith, seated at Twelve Twenty’s little coffee table at the Botanologica Makers Market Aug. 25, while her life partner, Bastian Kunu – also a co-founder and owner – served eager customers from inside their new mobile trailer. 

We were curious about the business challenges they faced shifting from brick-and-mortar to mobile platforms and wanted to know more about the backstory of their enterprise. In the course of the discussion, however, their entrepreneurial spirit, sense of community, and inspiring experiences as a couple working hard to turn their business dream into a reality shone brightly.

On their website, Victoria and Bastian describe what Twelve Twenty’s about, though they don’t touch on their romantic relationship: “Victoria Smith and Bastian Kunu have over 20 years of combined experience in specialty coffee and the food and beverage industry. They share a love and passion for hospitality, coffee shops, community, music, art, and a birthday (12/20).” Hence their name.

“Our coffee is roasted by artisan-coffee roasters, Black Acres Roastery, who ethically source their beans and curate roasting profiles that provide each cup of coffee with a story. We match this with tea sourced by Passenger Tea Co., a tea purveyor that handpicks premium teas. Together, we’ve crafted a tasteful kit where you stop by and choose your favorite drink with us or on the go.” 

The Romance and the Dream

But, the two young baristas – and now life and business partners – met originally while working in a coffee shop [Victoria would rather not say which] back in 2015 when Bastian was 23 and Victoria was 26 and “everything just clicked.” And, they've been together ever since. 

As most baristas do, they dreamed of one day having their own brick-and-mortar coffee shop and would often fantasize about how they’d make it special and distinctive. 

Launching Just Before the Pandemic

By 2019, they finally launched Twelve Twenty. Within months, however, the pandemic hit and it wasn’t at all certain if they could get the enterprise off the ground.

As Covid took its toll on local businesses, Victoria and Bastian continued to work in the coffee industry and had to be patient. By 2022, however, they seemed to find a break. Tysons II Galleria opened up Urbanspace in their Food Hall and Victoria and Bastian’s Twelve Twenty now had a two-person brick-and-mortar platform from which to grow their business.

A Fox 5 TV News story on April 26, 2022, highlights the mall’s bold opening of their new coffee shop in the midst of the pandemic. Wearing face masks, Bastian serves reporter Kevin McCarthy a latte with the number “5” artistically floating in the foam, while Victoria enthuses about the possibilities of running a woman-owned, minority-owned business that partners with other such businesses to work cooperatively. She describes having earlier worked as a Coffee Trainer, a Coffee Director, as a General Manager/Events Manager, and as a General Manager before becoming an owner at Urbanspace. 

“And we do a really good maple latte as well,” she added. “That’s what people crave.”

When the story’s done, the anchors chime in: “I love her story.” – “Yeah, that’s just marvelous. And doing it with her partner too at that level. Good to see it. And that coffee looks so good!”

A Bad Experience at the Mall

But, it turns out, their experience at Tysons II Galleria was dispiriting.

“Honestly, I felt like every day going into that mall there was somebody stepping on my chest with a boot,” Victoria said. “And, both of us, we felt horrible every day. And I said to myself, ‘I own a business here. Why do I feel like this every single day?’

Victoria recounted being jerked around by different management companies and enduring consistent disrespect that seemed racial in nature. It seemed that after being wooed to Urbanspace, they were now being mistreated. “They refused to promote us. I was just told outright, ‘We’re not going to promote Twelve Twenty Coffee,’ she recalled. “Or, I was just told, ‘You should just be happy to be here.’” Though she had been an events manager, the mall’s management always seemed to over-scrutinize who she was inviting in for partnered ventures.

And it wasn’t as if Twelve Twenty was underperforming. They maintained a 3.9 Yelp review rating. One customer, Nancy M., wrote: “I love Twelve Twenty! So happy this coffee shop is near me. My first time coming, I was able to meet Bastian. He was so nice to talk to while he made my maple latte and warmed up my croissant! Maybe this is why I love this place so much, the owners really make you feel like they appreciate your support and want to get to know their customers. The next time I came, I met Victoria and learned more about the vibe and brand she’s creating with Twelve Twenty. I loved this – because now I have a personal connection and want to keep supporting and getting good coffee. Also, I want to point out that the baked goods they get are high quality and worth every penny. The rose pistachio is probably the best croissant I’ve ever had. The flavor is so good and then when they warm it up, that butterry warm inside is just – Check it out!”

As a new management company took over, a new lease was dangled before Victoria and Bastian, but eventually, the rug was just pulled out from under their business. “So, I kept asking, ‘Where’s my lease? And, then they abruptly said, ‘Actually we’re not going to do this… You need to be gone in two weeks.” 

In October, 2023, a friend even launched a Go Fund Me to raise donations to “Help Twelve Twenty Coffee: Back Victoria’s Dream.”

The fundraising plea recounted Victoria’s struggles at Urbanspace. “Her story began in December of 2019, three months before the pandemic hit. She started as a modest coffee pop-up, and, amidst all the chaos, landed a permanent residency at the Urbanspace activation in the Tysons Galleria food hall in McLean, VA. Through this partnership, she was promised a unique place in a buzzing community space full of other amazing food and beverage vendors, tons of foot traffic, and the opportunity to grow her business in the years ahead. Unfortunately, due to poor management by the partnering companies, almost none of what she was promised ever came to fruition. The food hall still stands almost entirely empty, with only a handful of vendors currently operating there. In addition to falling short of their promises to activate the space, the two entities involved–Urbanspace Tysons and Brookfield Properties (Tysons Galleria), the management arm of the development company that owns the property – have consistently mistreated and neglected to support Victoria.”

At first after losing their lease at Tysons II, Victoria and Bastian thought they could find another brick-and-mortar location pretty easily. But, it was not to be. “Once they pretty much gave us the boot, I was thinking, ‘Oh, we need to do something,’ Victoria remembers. “And I was trying so hard in Fairfax, because I live here. I was originally from D.C., but I grew up in Fairfax County so I really wanted to find someplace here. So, I tried several different places and it was just like, ‘Oh, we love your concept, but… no.’ Or, I’d bring a coffee shop idea to people who weren’t thinking about having a coffee shop and then they'd go with a different coffee shop.’”

Pivoting to Mobile

So, it was time for the business to pivot. Time to go mobile.

“So, the first idea that Bastian and I were talking about was to do kind of a mobile coffee shop, or a mobile food truck with coffee. We worked as baristas – we are baristas – and we’d sit down and dream – every barista dreams up when they’re working, what they’re going to do, what sort of cafe they’re going to create – but I was like, ‘Let’s actually sit down and find out what you have to do to make this work.’ Let’s go through Fairfax County and see what you actually have to do.” 

“So, I found this company where you can build your own trailer. You can dream it up. So, I thought, this is what we’re going to do,” Victoria recalled. “Because, if we’re not finding any luck with being able to rent or lease a place, we have to do something, because we’ve got customers… So, let’s just go mobile!” 

But, the process wasn’t simple. Loans would have to be secured and designs would have to be drawn up. “Well, it took a couple of months to even get [the trailer] and then it took a couple of more months to get it all operational,” Victoria said. 

And acquiring permits for the mobile operations would take even more time and energy. “Yeah, it’s a mobile trailer and obviously we move it around with a truck. But, in Fairfax County you’re under the mobile trailer and food truck regulations, it’s kind of paired together. But, when I go somewhere else, I have to make sure I’m permitted for that. And I also have my cart as well. So, if we’re doing indoor events, some places only want you to have your cart. Let’s say it’s on the grass. So, it’s a lot of moving parts. And everyone says, ‘Oh, is this, like, easier?’ And I’m like, ‘No, it’s not easier.’ But for me, I just feel very determined. I just feel like when I met him [points to Bastian serving drinks inside] it clicked. And this is like a skill that we have that we’re good at. So, I’m very determined to figure it out and find a way that we can make Twelve Twenty grow and thrive.”

So, how do Victoria and Bastian divide up the labor for their business? 

“We just do it together, kind of [Laughs],” Victoria says. “We both do operational stuff. Finance is probably more me. Moving stuff around is probably more him. Social media is probably more me, though I’m not very good at it. I would say we’re really good working together. That’s why we’re saving up for a really good espresso machine for the trailer that has two [spouts]. So, that we can both be working at the same time. 

They’re looking to purchase a Lar Marzocco Italian espresso machine. “It’s a really great machine. The next one we’re looking for is a machine that has two grooves that we’ll be hooking in and we’ll be able to get drinks out quicker when we have bigger events.” 

A Passion for Coffee and Community

So, why is the coffee business so important to Victoria and Bastian? 

“I started working at a coffee shop in Georgetown called Baked and Wired,” Victoria recalled. “And I think, working there, I fell in love with the family [who owns it]. They have a business, their kids work it. And I just liked the atmosphere and the vibe working there when I was young. And that’s where I got the buzz of like, ‘I want to have that someday.’ The people you meet in a coffee shop. The conversations you have around this drink. We do coffee, we do tea, we do fun stuff, We do matcha! And all that kind of stuff. Like, this drink brings people together and that’s what brings the joy of it all to me.” 

“Whatever that feeling is – and I don’t want to speak for Bastian – but, I think we just love people. And then we were like, ‘Aha, we actually can do this well.’ We have the skills. So, how can we bring this together? Like, I love coffee and I can nerd out over coffee with the best of them. But, if you really get to the core of why I want to do this, I think it’s that.”

“Also with the mobile trailer, we can get to the people. Some days we’re one place and we get a completely different crowd. Then you go to another place and it’s another crowd. I’d love to find a home or a space in Northern Virginia or D.C. or even Maryland, the DMV, or whatever. But, for now I really do like the mobile aspect. And I really like going out to meet the customer…. I like to activate spaces, you know?”

Can This New Mobile Model Work?

While Twelve Twenty’s new mobile model has yet to clear the debts and make a profit, Victoria is optimistic and pleased with the direction the company’s heading. 

“We need the people to come out and help support us. We’re still in the launch phase. We did our launch party in July. But, we’re still working out all of our kinks and getting around, even just learning how to hitch [up to the truck], and which are the good spots to go to. I mean, there are times we go places and lose money. 

“But I think that when people come [to us] and after they leave, nobody’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t like my drink.’ ... And, I already feel like the menu’s pretty long [Laughs]. But, I can’t wait for the Fall when I’m going to do my roasted sweet potato latte. But, then my purple drink will be gone, but we’ll bring that back next Spring. So, I like to play around with stuff. We do a really good dark hot chocolate in the Fall and Winter. So, I’m excited about those.”

So, has it been a good idea to go mobile? “Well, there’s freedom. But, also there isn’t,” Victoria says. “Because, it’s a little bit hard finding out where we can go right now. But, it’s nice to partner with these local businesses and I have a lot of friends that are also local business owners that support us, like today, letting us come here. Which is awesome!”  

“We’re lucky to have the support we have and we’re just trying to get into good markets, getting consistent where people know where we’re going to be. And that’s the plus of having your brick-and-mortar. But, sometimes, if people are saying, ‘Oh, it’s difficult to go there.’ It is nice to have this. And also, I don’t have somebody over my head.” 

And while having a brick-and-mortar at the mall felt like having a “boot to the chest,” it’s liberating to be running one's own business. “Now, I’m like, ‘Alright, it’s small, but it’s mine. And we can do our own thing.’ And when we started doing it, it felt like the relief that we could just be free. Honestly, so, that’s why I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a little tight right now, but I’m so hopeful for the future.’ And we meet so may great people who are like, ‘Oh, we want to support you!’ So, that’s what’s making me feel like, ‘Alright, we got this.’ 

For last thoughts, Victoria said: “Support women-owned, Black-owned businesses! ... Also, I’m Type 1 Diabetic, so disability-owned as well [Laughs].”

By Christopher Jones