Clash Coffee and Boba plans to relocate from Kerman to Oakhurst this spring. Photo via Clash Facebook page

After a rollercoaster year that began with the grand opening of their first storefront, Clash Coffee and Boba announced the closure of one door and the opening of another.

The Kerman location, which opened in April 2024, is shutting down and pivoting to a new location, looking to elevate the small, locally-owned coffee shop to new levels — and a fantastic new view.

It will be located in the former Glow Juice Bar location along Highway 41.

Bill and Teresa Beukers, co-owners of Clash, announced their plans to relocate from Kerman to Oakhurst earlier this month, citing a number of factors causing the business to relocate.

The Beukers first opened Clash Coffee and Boba in 2021, initially as a food truck in Fresno before establishing a storefront inside Tony’s Market in Kerman on April 20, 2024. Their all-natural menu includes house-made chocolate and caramel sauces, real fruit and locally sourced raw honey and milk.

Recent corporate coffee shop openings, including the announcement of a second Starbucks location as well as the opening of a nearby Dutch Brother’s Coffee location, caused what Bill described as the “perfect storm” of economic factors. To add to it, the home that Bill and Teresa rent in Kerman recently went up for sale, finalizing the decision to relocate.

 

The Oakhurst spot, however, had caught the duo’s attention; Bill and Teresa had already considered a second location there.

“Part of the reason that Oakhurst was a viable spot for us is because when we first opened on Blackstone and Shaw, we had a food trailer — a coffee truck,” Teresa said. “At least once or twice a week people from LA, from Italy, from Switzerland, from Germany, all different [types] of people would stop at our coffee trailer.”

The couple noted Oakhurst’s lack of specialty coffee options and believes their all-natural menu will attract business in the region — one that will see the opening of Outbound Yosemite Resort later this year.

The duo hopes the resort, which will also be capable of hosting business meetings, conventions and large tourist groups, will attract new customers.

Clash Coffee and Boba will return much of its menu when it opens in mid-March, but the new location will also provide additional opportunities for the shop to expand its menu; Bill, who previously owned Fresno restaurant Rhema before its closure due to the 2008 financial crisis, is eager to expand the shop’s offerings.

The Oakhurst location will allow him to do that as the store slowly introduces coffee-shop-style bites including coffee cakes and cookies.

Beyond their menu, the couple has focused on social enterprise, hiring a diverse range of employees and partnering with local organizations.

“We hung on as long as we could,” Bill said of their time in Kerman. “When people are loyal to us, we like to be loyal to them.”

The Kerman location will close on Feb. 27, with the Oakhurst shop targeting a mid-March opening. Hiring plans are still in discussion, but the couple expects to bring on at least two to three local employees.

Looking ahead, the Beukers hope to eventually open a Clash Coffee and Boba location in Fresno, with an eye on honoring their loyal employees.

“Our heart is really for them,” Teresa said. “When we’re able to grow and be successful, our next store will be in Fresno.”