The Business Barista

Wolff Center Student Isabella Mixon Opens Semi-Permanent Matcha Shop

By Donna Keeya
Published on November 12, 2025

Isabella Mixon has mastered the art of the pivot.

The entrepreneurship junior has transformed a coffee cart into a semi-permanent matcha shop, all while being a full-time student. However, there was a time when Mixon wasn’t sure if college was even for her.

During high school, college was not high on Mixon’s radar as she had plans to be a business owner. The Katy native wanted to venture out and move away from her hometown, but when her father let her know that the No. 1 ranked Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship was just down the road, Mixon pivoted her plans to attend the C. T. Bauer College of Business.

“The Wolff Center has taught me a lot about leadership and supporting a team.”

“When I was doing coffee pop-ups, it was just my sister, my mom and me. Now I have employees, and I’m trying to be the best leader for them. I want to inspire them and keep trusting them to do the right thing.”

Mixon had years of barista experience before opening her own beverage business. What started as a coffee cart called Morning Call quickly grew into a coffee truck. Mixon is currently operating her matcha company, Isa, at a brick-and-mortar location in East Downtown until the end of November.

“I decided to rebrand because 70 percent of my sales were matcha,” Mixon said. “I may have pivoted to a more matcha focused company, but the heart of it is still the same. We’re still community and health focused.”

Now, with the foresight and entrepreneurial experience the Wolff Center has given her, Mixon plans to continue hosting pop-up locations in the spring semester. After graduation, she plans to raise funding to own a permanent location, open seven days a week.

Looking back, Mixon reflected on what advice she would share with her past self who dreamed of being an entrepreneur.

“It's going to be a lot harder than you think, and have a ton of sacrifices and setbacks,” Mixon said. “But you can do hard things, and it’ll be worth it in the long run.”