A JOURNEY WORTH SHARING

Business Intro...

Hey you, my name is Marisha (Octavia) Grey, I am the face behind SIMMER AND OAK, NYC's First Mobile Matcha Cafe, focused on promoting mindfulness and relaxation where ever in the bustling city you are, with our traditional hand-whisked Ceremonial Matcha infused bevvies, cream cheese toast, and pastries, all while offering a boost in your mood with our hand-crafted Affirmation Mood Candles.

A little back story...

As someone who lived by the books all my life hiding my childhood trauma behind my degree in finance, it took me losing everything in my dream bric and matar cafe back in Jamaica, then later my marriage, to realize I was my own enemy all this time. Now faced with the task of starting my entire life from scratch at 30, as a single mom of 2 in a country I never dreamt God would relocate me to permanently, I found myself most days lighting candles and indulging in matcha lattes, that somehow improved my mood without me having to say a word, no matter how depressed I was feeling. 

After about a month of daily indulgence, I got curious to know why I felt completely renewed every time I had these things, and that's when I discovered that matcha, however you choose to enjoy it, and scented candles especially those that had encouraging words printed on them, all have natural components proven to make one wants to be more present with themselves, which ultimately improves their mood. 

Then later it hit me, it was the little things that I took for granted, like spending the time to pour into myself by making my daily hand-whisked matcha latte with a scented candle lit in the background, was what my life was missing.

when pain turn to purpose .....

So with the guidance of God, I decided to turn my daily ritual into my new passion project where I'd open another bric and mortar cafe as to help others have the same daily mood boosting experience where they can control their mood swings and release worries and self doubt in a world that makes it hard for one to be openly vulnerable.

the art of pivoting.......

However I had a major obstacle that I needed to cross. With a big dream and a solid plan to open this bric and mortar here in Midtown, I spent 2 years visiting every bank looking to get a business loan and believe me when I say I have never received so many no’s in my life. From overly expensive leases and a list of credentials that far outweighs my present financial capability, I was faced with a daunting reality of just how unachievable it is to the ‘normal immigrants’ to open a bric and martor here in the city, and this quickly shattered my faith in believing that I could ever make it a reality once more to re-live my dream of operating my own cafe. 

But one thing God has used these last few years to teach me is to not be afraid of change and to use what I have in my hand (EXODUS 4:2) So after feeling like i wanted to completely give up God gave me the vision of a traveling Matcha Cafe, where I'd offer a elevated-casual catering experience to clients wherever in the city they are and immediately this unlocked a new spark as not only would I now be able to diversify my brand portfolio, but have more enjoyable time with my kids as we tour the city, one booking, one location, one matcha at a time.