Freshman Sofia Ortiz was sitting in a high school math class when the idea for her coffee truck started “brewing”. She remembers “drawing a little thought bubble,” and thinking it would be a cool logo for a future business. She always loved coffee shops because of their ability to foster creativity, and combining these two ideas led to the birth of Brewing Thoughts.
Originally from Fort Lauderdale, Ortiz had planned to invest her life savings in starting her own company during college, and after experimenting with homemade coffee syrups, became interested in opening a cafe.
“This could be super fun,” she thought. She wasn’t expecting to launch her business her freshman year, but when her boyfriend suggested a coffee truck, Ortiz was immediately on board.
The two began building the truck in July 2025 and officially opened the business in October. Although she considered the start-up process as “one of the most difficult” aspects of the business so far, she was pleasantly surprised by the immediate support Brewing Thoughts garnered.
“I wasn’t expecting how big we would grow to be in such a short amount of time,” she said. “October wasn’t that long ago, and we’ve already reached over 1,000 followers on Instagram, which is a huge milestone.” The Brewing Thoughts Instagram page, brewing_thoughts_coffee, is Ortiz’s “pride and joy,” and she utilizes her creative mind to make art-based advertisements for the page.
Ortiz loves interacting with her customers, who are both UF students and Gainesville locals: everyone’s so sweet, and there’s such a big community here that’s really beautiful. The locals here have been super inviting.” She recalled one of Brewing Thought’s first events, where the vendor they partnered with, Mel’s Kitchen, invited her to other community events.
“If it wasn’t for Mel, we wouldn’t have started with such success,” she explained.
In addition to the Gainesville community, Ortiz feels connected to the coffee world, which has allowed her to “embrace [her] artistic side.” She enjoys seeing reels and posts about barista life, and immediately relates to the creators and their stories.
Starting Brewing Thoughts has taught Ortiz that nothing in life is guaranteed to turn out as planned, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Their “Galentines” picnic on February 15 was their first big event, and although it didn’t turn out exactly as they imagined, she was pleased that “everyone was still so happy and had fun.” Brewing Thoughts partnered with UF Arts in Health and the UF Wellness Society, who helped contribute to the event’s success.
As she navigates challenges, Ortiz has also learned the importance of acceptance: “As I’m trying to balance my life, career and job, it’s not going to be perfect; it’s a lot of sacrifice and accepting that it’s okay if I don’t have straight A’s or work seven days a week.” She is grateful for her boyfriend and “the ambition he has.” She admires his ability to operate the business, overcome obstacles and still remain positive.
Ortiz loves experimenting with new flavor combinations. The truck often features limited edition drinks including an iced Thai tea with ube cold foam, a raspberry cheesecake matcha latte and an iced vanilla Earl Grey matcha latte. One of her favorite concoctions recently is a hot mocha with banana and cinnamon, and she hopes to incorporate popular syrups like strawberry into the menu.
Ortiz is excited about Brewing Thoughts’ future and the promise it holds. Although she is currently studying mechanical engineering, she hopes to incorporate the business, the lessons she’s learned and the artist she’s become into her career. New customers can learn about the truck’s upcoming events and locations through their Instagram account.