‘Better, not bigger’: How this Miami coffee spot has thrived in a changing Wynwood

When the first Panther Coffee opened its doors in Wynwood 15 years ago, the working-class neighborhood was much different than it is today.

There were no tourists, not a lot of foot traffic. Nefarious actions by the criminally minded were not unusual. Unattended laptops were not safe, and even locked cars were a risk. On the night before opening day, a daring thief made off with the air conditioning condensing unit on the roof.

“We didn’t know we needed a cage for it,” admits Joel Pollock, who opened the business with his Brazilian-born wife Leticia. “We were new to Florida, and we came out in the morning and thought, ‘It’s blowing air, but it’s not cold.‘ We went out to look, and it was gone.”

Clearly, the Pollocks prevailed (a reasonable outcome for a couple who met at a coffee convention). Panther Coffee has grown from that single coffee shop to a well-known brand with six locations in South Florida, a roastery in Traverse City, Mich., where Joel Pollack grew up, and a New York City location set to open in 2026. You can find the beans in grocery stores like Whole Foods, Milam’s Markets and Sprouts. It was also named one of the top coffee shops in the country in 2025 by Top 100 Coffee Shops, ranking no. 30.

And despite the struggles, what the owners remember most about those early days is the powerful sense of community, a heady feeling of believing all the business owners and workers were in it together to create something special.

“What I miss most are the neighbors,” Leticia Pollock says. “The Butter Gallery guys, people from Joey’s restaurant down the street, the Puerto Rican mechanics next door. We were all in the trenches together. But at the same time, it was so much fun.”

Panther Coffee wine?

The fun isn’t over, of course. Panther Coffee is celebrating its 15th anniversary — a milestone in fickle Wynwood — with a party on Dec. 4, with food vendors, DJ sets and live music from the local duo Ana No Duerme (co-founder Ale Campos is a former Panther employee).

There will also be a tasting of the brand’s latest venture, Panther Coffee Cuvee, a collaboration with MAWBY, a Michigan company that makes sparkling wine. The cuvee is available in Michigan, but the Pollocks, who split their time between Miami and Michigan, are still seeking a distributor in Florida.

The marriage of sparkling wine and coffee may sound odd, but Leticia Pollock, whose culinary background includes working as a sommelier in Brazil, says it makes sense and urges partygoers to give it a try.

“At the end of the process of making sparkling wine, you add a little bit of a syrup,” she explains. “We’re doing that with a cold brew syrup, so there are notes of coffee flavor and aroma.”

‘A good opportunity’

The road to Wynwood began in Portland, Ore., where the couple moved after meeting. There, they worked in the coffee business and began to sketch out a concept for what would become Panther Coffee. A vacation to Miami revealed the city as a perfect location, one not oversaturated with competition like coffee-crazed Portland.

Also notable: Miami was sunny and warm, and if the rain showed up, it didn’t stay long.

“Miami was a good opportunity,” Leticia Pollock says. “Nobody was really doing coffee like we do. And it’s closer for me to go home to Brazil and for Joel to go back to Traverse City. The weather was beautiful. We loved how beautiful Portland is, but it’s raining three quarters of the year, and I grew up in the tropics! We loved the Latin culture here, too.”

They credit Wynwood developer Tony Goldman and Goldman Properties for allowing Panther Coffee to get started — and to flourish.

“We just wanted to make coffee, and they believed in us and helped us,” Leticia Pollock says. “They’re awesome landlords. We wouldn’t be here to celebrate our 15th without them.”

A different Wynwood

Fifteen years later, of course, Wynwood is bigger, bolder and trending upscale, a far cry from what it was in 2010. Development has skyrocketed over the past several years, with upscale residences and high-end restaurants replacing the breweries and galleries. Even Smorgasburg, the trendy open-air food market from Brooklyn that opened to great fanfare in 2022, is closing, the lot it’s located on destined to become a residential project.

“It’s a different animal these days,” Joel Pollock says of the neighborhood, “and we’re in the epicenter of it. It’s shocking.”

Panther continues to persevere in Wynwood, despite the changes and other obstacles, like a dangerously slow summer that saw fewer tourists visiting the neighborhood and coffee tariffs that still posed a problem despite the Pollocks buying a vast amount of coffee before the tariffs came in.

Coffee production costs have also increased tremendously, Joel Pollock says, and they’re trying to avoid a drastic price hike but unsure how long they can hold out if the market doesn’t stabilize.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” he admits.

‘Better, not bigger’

Over the years, the Pollocks have been careful about growing their brand, working slowly and deliberately to expand and improve. Investors have wanted to purchase the company or help it expand, but the owners view Panther as a family business, one they’re extremely protective of.

Still, in addition to the sparkling wine, there are new products on the horizon, like a ready-to-drink cold brew and a specialty instant coffee. But overall, the team is more concerned with what Leticia Pollock calls “raising coffee education” and being part of the worldwide coffee community.

“We want to be better, not bigger,” she says. “We don’t have lofty goals. That’s not what it’s about for us. We just want to be good.”

Panther Coffee anniversary party

Where: 2390 NW Second Ave., Miami

When: 5 p.m. Dec. 4

Featuring: Bites, local vendors, live and vinyl DJ sets, special toast with the new Panther Coffee Cuvee

This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 4:30 AM.