By Saya Alvares

Sports Editor

On Nov 2., Abdy and De Anna Mirzadegan bought the beloved shop in Los Gatos: Great Bear Coffee. You can find students from Los Gatos High School and other neighboring high schools studying here any given day of the week, as well as adults meeting for a chat or business meeting. As one of the only independently-owned coffee shops in downtown Los Gatos, Great Bear Coffee continues to be the classic staple we know and love, with the constant addition of exciting and new developments. 

After selling his high-tech company in January of 2022, A. Mirzadegan knew that he wanted to try something new and decided to switch career paths by purchasing a coffee shop. The previous owners were originally going to sell to different individuals who planned to convert the shop into a restaurant. After that plan fell through, A. Mirzadegan detailed, “I immediately jumped in and took over… And it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.” D. Mirzadegan explained how excited they are to take over the ownership: “It’s iconic. We are grateful to be able to keep it at its roots… we’re trying to keep the vibe of the locally independent coffee shop while doing some updates. Just cleaning it up and modernizing it a bit, as well as expanding the menu.”

The pair expresses their appreciation and gratitude to the staff who have done a stellar job during this transition. D. Mirzadegan explained, “We appreciate all the employees here…a lot of the longtime team members have really helped us [during these first six weeks].”

Make sure to check out the exciting new additions featured — the remodeled bathrooms and floors, and section outside designated for outdoor seating. One of their main new focuses is better serving the local community, as well as offering a larger variety of vegan and wheat-free food. They have also mixed up the pastries and added some new seasonal drinks, and they plan to introduce sandwiches and salads to their menu.

Bay Area locals, the Mirzadegans are found regularly cycling to Great Bear Coffee, when weather permits, as well as at the shop any day of the week. They are keeping — and improving — some of the most famous aspects of Great Bear Coffee, such as the Chocolate Cream Coffee (CCC). The CCC is the shop’s most famous drink, and they “want to expand [their] ice cream coffee offerings, and be able to serve different flavors.” Keep looking out for new exciting developments of this classic coffee shop, while appreciating the similarities of the continuation of the place we’ve known and loved since 1991.