A new coffee shop on Saipan is putting locals first and serving up drinks with the motto “Came for the coffee, stayed for the vibes”. The high school sweethearts who returned home to give back...one cup at a time.

It’s all hands on deck for Luther Taylor and Kristin Hofschneider at their coffee shop, Hafa Bean. "For now our roles are owners, plus baristas, plus everything in between" Kristin said, evoking laughter.

They opened in Garapan last August. The 30-year-olds deciding to move home after living in Oregon, working in retail and the service industry. Luther recalled, "While we were in Oregon we kind of reflected on what we wanted to do after we got laid of from our jobs and we thought to ourselves this is not the way we want to live…we do not want to stay in the house every day in the cold. We want to get out there, meet people, and talk to people face-to-face."

The couple started dating in 2010 while they were in high school in Saipan. They’re serving coffee with that secret ingredient, love - providing a comfortable new hangout spot for locals who rush to the counter from Monday to Saturday between 6am and 4pm.

"We just wanted to bring back what we learned in the States and come back to our actual home and spread the love and positivity through coffee," said Luther.

That coffee is from their former home of Portland - fresh from a company called Coava. They hope their coffee and a wide variety of their other drinks and pastries bring a smile to their customers’ faces. Perhaps like the smile they have looking at each other. The couple is recently engaged and plans to get married later this year.

Kristin said, "So, we’ve been together for a long time," with Luther adding, "I am surprised that she gave me a chance this long to pop the question! Without her I would not be able to run this business myself. I give a lot of credit to her.

"It has been such a great journey so far and I am glad to be doing it with my fiance."