Greater Babylon coverage is funded in part by The Argyle Theatre, where Broadway comes to Babylon. Click here for tickets to ‘A Bronx Tale,’ performing April 25 to June 16.
Brazilian-born Alice Bopp is using her passion and expertise to launch Muni’s Coffee Joint in downtown Lindenhurst.
Alice, a coffee enthusiast, says her love for coffee stems from her time living in South America. “Coffee is so big in Brazil and the beans are excellent,” she explained. “I love it, and I still drink it all day long.”
Now, she is planning on opening her coffee house at 222 North Wellwood Avenue within the next few weeks.
Muni’s will be serving a variety of drinks, such as lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, espresso, and regular coffee. The beans will be supplied by East End Coffee Roasters, which is owned by the Bean-brand coffeeshops.
Even though she’s always enjoyed the beverage, she didn’t think of opening up her own shop until recently.
After living in Brazil most of her life, she moved to San Diego, where she met her future husband, John, a Lindenhurst native, who is a marine. When her husband’s military contract was up, the two moved to Long Island, where Alice began working part-time for the Babylon Bean Coffee House. She worked there for two years before wanting to open her own space.
“Everyone would come up to me and asked if I was the owner,” said the 44-year-old, who was flattered by the comments.
The South Shore resident began looking around and later signed the lease for the Lindenhurst space last summer. She says she picked the best place to do it.
“The town is going through a revitalization, a new start,” she said. “And I feel the same for myself opening this business.”
The Bopps named their coffee joint Muni, which is a nickname for their 4-year-old son Benjamin.
“In Brazil, when you call someone handsome you say ‘bonito,” explained Alice. “We’d call our son that, and over time the words switched up and we began calling [Benjamin] ‘Muni.’
“Now he introduces himself as Muni Bopp,” said Alice, laughing.
In addition to coffee, Alice will be selling smoothies, fresh-pressed juices, paninis, salads, açai bowls, crepes, and bakery items.
She also says she’d like to use the space to host book readings, have club meetings, and play live music on weekends.
“I really want to engage with the community,” said Alice, who lives a few blocks away from her store. “I want the people to feel this is an extension of their house.”
Top: Alice Bopp in front of her soon-to-be-opened Muni’s Coffee Joint.
