How Three Small Independent Coffee Shops Started Their Businesses NYT | Top Stories By: Mercedes Lilienthal 3 January 2025 at 18:00 The owners began their businesses with no college degrees and 100 percent grit. A visit from the TikTok food critic Keith Lee also helped. © Hiroko Masuike/The New York TimesTaylor Nawrocki and Rachel Nieves founded Buddies four years ago in Brooklyn.