Brick Road Family of Companies
Brick Road Community Corporation is a mission-driven, LGBTQ+-owned company that uses coffee as a vehicle for connection, empowerment, and community transformation. Founded in Tempe, Arizona, by Gabe Hagen and Jesse Shank, the company began as a single neighborhood coffee shop with a clear purpose: to build a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds, especially those who have historically been excluded—queer folks, sober individuals, young creatives, and social changemakers.
Since its founding, Brick Road has grown into a parent company with multiple distinct but aligned brands under its umbrella. Each one contributes to a larger vision of equity, sustainability, and joy-driven entrepreneurship.
Brick Road Coffee is the flagship café and community anchor. Located in Tempe, it’s known for fostering an inclusive environment that celebrates authenticity, activism, and good coffee. The café has become a local gathering spot—not just for caffeine but for connection—hosting community events, markets, voter registration drives, and more. The menu features locally made pastries and specialty coffee, but its true draw is the culture of warmth, care, and visibility for all.
Empower Coffee Roasters, located in Mesa, brings the spirit of Brick Road to a new community with a distinct focus: uplifting all women. Empower highlights coffees from women-led farms and builds transparent, direct relationships from origin to cup. The Mesa location is also home to a full kitchen and an art-forward space, complete with a striking mural and event room available for rent—furthering the brand’s goal of being a hub for creativity, connection, and shared growth.
Empower was originally founded by Zach Gamza and Denise Napolitano as a boutique coffee roasting operation. Together, they built Empower into a warm, welcoming café focused on community, quality, and care. In 2024, Brick Road Community Corporation officially brought Empower into the family, preserving its name and identity while integrating it into the larger mission. Zach remains a full-time leader in the business, contributing his deep knowledge of coffee roasting and operations, while Denise and her original vision of service and hospitality still shape the culture of the space. Empower is both a continuation of their legacy and a step forward into broader impact.
Prismatic Coffee Lab is the company’s wholesale roasting and B2B operation. Built to make sourcing great coffee stress-free for cafés, offices, and hospitality clients, Prismatic emphasizes consistency, traceability, and tailored roasting. The name "Prismatic" reflects both the diversity of its offerings and the belief that coffee—like light—can refract into something beautiful when passed through the right lens. Every roast is carefully developed with sustainability and customer needs in mind.
Together, these brands form the core of Brick Road Community Corporation’s work: using coffee to build a more just and joyful world. Whether it's through sourcing from women-owned farms, raising funds for LGBTQ+ nonprofits, or ensuring fair pay and opportunity for baristas, the company puts its values into practice every day.
What sets Brick Road companies apart isn’t just their coffee—it’s the belief that business can and should make people feel seen, supported, and inspired. With plans for continued growth, community partnerships, and bold storytelling, Brick Road Community Corporation is proving that you can serve your values right alongside your espresso.