CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The Coolbeans Café, a coffee shop serving Starbucks, is now open in Hangar 1003 to serve the Airmen of Creech Air Force Base.
Leadership of the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing and the 799th Air Base Group partnered with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service to help improve the quality of life for Airmen one cup at a time.
"It was important to bring this to the Airmen of Creech because so many times our Airmen don't have the opportunity to take advantage of the services and support that they've earned," said Col. James Cluff, 432nd Wing commander. "Bringing something as simple as a coffee shop to add one more quality of life possibility was important."
The idea to have a permanent coffee service began when Airmen were asked what things they'd most like to see added to Creech.
"We started planning for this addition more than a year ago," Cluff said. "We had some challenges that had to be overcome to make this a reality."
Among the challenges, finding a location that was easily accessible to most of the base populace and identifying a vendor willing to make the 40 minute trip to and from Creech proved to be the most difficult.
During the opening ceremony Aug. 12, Airmen were honored and recognized for their service and hard work with free prizes and drinks from the owner of the Coolbeans Café.
"I'm honored to be a part of bringing this service to you," said Roselle Gereda, Coolbeans Café owner. "Hopefully we can work together to make this a success, so that I can continue to serve the Airmen of Creech for years to come."
For one Airman the experience of having a coffee shop opening up went deeper than just starting her day off right.
The "Mojazza" was named in honor of 2nd Lt. Doniell Mojazza, 432nd Maintenance Squadron, maintenance operations flight commander, who visited the cafe multiple times before the grand opening to order her unique drink.
"I think having the drink named after me is really cool," said Mojazza. "I never thought something like that would happen, but I encourage Airmen to try my drink."
The "Mojazza" is an iced Americano, blended, with three pumps of sugar-free vanilla and four shots of espresso. The drink can also be made in decaf to limit the caffeine jitters.
Airmen interested in getting out of their work centers can visit the shop to have a cup of coffee, a pastry or even a sweet alternative Monday thru Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The café accepts cash and all major credit and debit cards.
"The employees at the coffee shop are great people. They greet me enthusiastically, perfect my drink, and always have a great attitude. They even drive up here like we do! They definitely top off the experience," said Mojazza