Each Tuesday by means of Thursday from 9 a.m. to three p.m., a glossy white truck parked outdoors the Cox Science Constructing drew a gradual stream of scholars. With its signature matchas, lattes and small-batch baked items that promote out quick, Honey Veil shortly turned a go-to vacation spot final semester for matcha lovers on campus.
Based by Miami-native sisters Ceci and Regina Alcobe, Honey Veil is a cell café born out of a shared love for matcha and baking. At simply 22 and 19 years outdated, the sisters have reworked a ardour undertaking into a preferred campus staple, providing thoughtfully crafted drinks, sourdough pastries and a second of calm amidst school chaos.
When you will not be shocked to listen to that the drinks are scrumptious, it’s possible you’ll be stunned to be taught that each sisters and their older brother attended UM. This impressed Ceci’s choice to deliver Honey Veil to UM. She felt like campus was the right place to start out the enterprise.
“Ceci did her analysis, reached out to the fitting folks, and we received affirmation that we might be on campus two days per week,” Regina stated. “She took the spring semester off to completely deal with Honey Veil, however she needed to remain linked to campus — and this was the right extension.”
Behind the truck’s success is a narrative of resilience and inspiration rooted in household. The sisters cite their mother and multicultural background (Mexican, German and Spanish) as their most important influences. It began when their mother, Cecilia, shared a photograph of her sourdough bread in a bunch chat and obtained a flood of orders. That led the sisters to start out promoting baked items at farmers markets.
What started as a two-day setup shortly expanded to 3. Beginning in fall 2025, the truck is anticipated to function Monday by means of Friday.
The title “Honey Veil” originated from an surprising supply: ChatGPT. Regina, recognized for her love of descriptive writing, struggled to sum up the model’s vibe in only a phrase or two. She typed out a protracted paragraph explaining their imaginative and prescient of one thing delicate, pure, candy and intentional. AI instructed phrases like “honey,” “nectar,” “lace” and “thread.”
After mixing and matching, Regina initially landed on Honeylace, however the Instagram deal with was taken. That’s when she discovered Honey Veil. She felt that the title captured their essence and even included a nod to her love for weddings.
Honey Veil stands out due to the intention and authenticity behind it. Whereas their age may appear to be an obstacle to some, the sisters imagine it’s one in every of their greatest strengths. Being younger helps them join with their viewers and to their model, from recipes and design to service with power and which means.
“I believe typically while you take issues too significantly, it’s laborious to attain what you got down to do as a result of all the things turns into concerning the vacation spot — not the method,” Regina stated. “We have been so centered on having fun with the method and making that as genuine as we probably may, and nice issues ended up occurring.”
In relation to their matcha, the sisters are perfectionists. Drinks are refined sugar–free and made with clear, easy substances. After conducting quite a few assessments, they perfected the matcha-to-milk and water-to-matcha ratios, putting a steadiness between style and froth in each cup.
Ceci led most of the matcha experiments. Throughout this time, Regina by chance invented their now-signature whipped honey, which was initially a failed try at a wholesome meringue. Whereas Regina retains their recipes a secret, she’s at all times clear concerning the substances.
As somebody with a candy tooth and a performance-driven mindset, Regina additionally started adjusting her recipes to chop refined sugar, choosing coconut sugar, maple syrup and extra pure substances.
“I seen that once I had an excessive amount of processed meals, I might escape, bloat and simply not really feel my finest,” Regina stated. “We by no means needed [our food] to be about ‘low-calorie’ — it’s about actual, complete meals that assist your physique really feel good whereas nonetheless tasting superb.”
Honey Veil even provides gluten-free and dairy-free choices.
Taste creation is one in every of Regina’s favourite components of the job, regardless that she doesn’t have as a lot time for it now.
“I’ve an countless doc of flavors which have popped into my head and I’ve been wanting to check and check out,” Regina stated. “A variety of them come to me once I’m engaged on the truck, or when somebody mentions one thing, or I’ll see a TikTok with a cool dessert recipe and picture it in a drink with a distinct twist.”
Proper now, she’s nonetheless closely concerned within the day-to-day operations and plans to recurrently launch new and thrilling flavors within the close to future. One among her greatest inspirations is Hallie Meyer, founding father of Caffè Panna in New York, who is thought for her inventive ice cream mixtures.
“Her taste ideas at all times blow my thoughts — I look as much as her a lot,” Regina stated.
The sisters’ dedication goes past recipes. One among Regina’s most memorable days on the truck got here when she gashed her foot open with a syrup bottle. She had no selection however to bandage herself up, prop her foot on a stool and hold working by means of the ache.
“It was truthfully fairly painful working like that for hours, however the fixed stream of matcha and dialog with college students saved the ache at bay,” Regina stated.
Regardless of needing crutches for 2 days, she was again within the truck shortly after.
“One of many women informed me, ‘Thanks for coming again,’ and people phrases meant the world to me,” Regina stated.
Working a meals truck comes with its personal set of challenges together with permits, logistics, climate and energy outages. However the sisters have constructed a powerful system and realized to adapt.
As former aggressive tennis gamers, Ceci and Regina have been enrolled in on-line faculty to journey for tournaments, coaching 5 to 6 hours each day. The self-discipline and sacrifice tennis demanded taught them the mandatory expertise for operating a enterprise.
“I believe tennis gave me the abilities to persevere, adapt and be constant regardless of the circumstances,” Regina stated. “You must grasp what you possibly can management so that you’re at all times prepared for the unknown — whether or not it’s on the courtroom or the truck.”
Regina was even speaking with Division I tennis packages earlier than Honey Veil took off however in the end selected the café over a collegiate athletic profession. She’ll start on the College of Miami in fall 2025.
UM college students have been a few of Honey Veil’s most loyal supporters and a significant purpose the sisters have pushed ahead.
“There have been a variety of laborious days that made us doubt,” Regina stated. “However the college students have been at all times there — displaying up, speaking with us, giving us their power.”
The sisters by no means got down to particularly “market” to college students, however the connection got here naturally.
“I credit score them greater than I credit score us — for taking an opportunity on us and supporting us each step of the way in which,” Regina stated.
That connection helped cement Regina’s choice to attend UM this fall.
“I believe I resonate with our clients as a result of I’m our buyer — younger, curious, somewhat bit confused concerning the world, however with a starvation to be taught and be a lot extra.” Regina stated.
From a trending sourdough craze to a glossy campus truck, Honey Veil is greater than a café. It’s a narrative of sisterhood, imaginative and prescient and fervour sweetened with somewhat whipped honey on high.
Because the truck’s following continues to develop and its menu evolves, Honey Veil is proving that considerate concepts, real connection and a little bit of boldness can go a good distance even with out formal coaching or years of expertise.
With each pour, swirl and smile, the Alcobe sisters are constructing group, one matcha at a time.