We meet Daniel Arteaga as he pulls shots of a fruit-forward espresso out of a generator-powered machine sitting in the trunk of his electric Toyota bZ4X on Wednesday. He's nestled between a group of street vendors working right from what used to be known as "the most depressing Starbucks in America" in Highland Park.
Although he runs out of oat milk early on, he nearly doubles his goal, selling 80 coffees by the end of the day, all while making customers laugh, handing out stickers, and talking to his followers on TikTok LIVE.
“We're out here doing exotic pour-overs on the street with the 99 Cents closed behind me [in] a dirty parking lot and stores that are borderline going out of business," says Arteaga. “We're serving, quote-unquote, specialty coffee, fermented coffee, specialty high-grade coffee to the people at six bucks."
After nearly ten years of working in the coffee industry, both in Los Angeles and his hometown of Chicago, Arteaga’s goal with Caffeineicide, his coffee pop-up, is to bring an authentic, DIY ethos to the industry and make coffee that’s for everybody.
In the trunk of his car, the espresso machine, grinder, and beaker sit on a wooden board at the top of a metal base with a small plastic tray at the bottom filled with cups and other essentials.