Austin couple brings matcha, mindfulness to campus

While navigating thyroid cancer treatments two years ago, Nina DeFrancisco found comfort in making matcha. From sifting to whisking, she said the daily ritual helped her stay present.

Last month, DeFrancisco and her fiancé, Vishrath Kumar (computer science, ‘22), opened their second Kriya Cafe location by Gregory Gym on Aug. 24. After making online wellness content, they chose to start a matcha truck because of the drink’s impact on DeFrancisco’s health journey.

“While I was going through the whole healing journey, I got really paranoid and anxious about … what to eat … and …  living my life a little bit in fear in that way,” DeFrancisco said. “Every day, one of the only things that I felt fully present doing was just making myself a matcha.”

Kumar said Kriya comes from a form of yoga, meaning inner work when translated from Sanskrit. Kumar and DeFrancisco said they wanted to bring that connection to students.

“(Matcha) gave us that moment to be fully still, intentional (and) present, that’s what we want to share with others and students,” Kumar said. “We know how stressful life can be as a student (and) … we really wanted to share the thing that helped us get through that journey with others here, and have them also tap into that moment of stillness and presence.”

Featuring flavors such as rose, pistachio and saffron flower matcha lattes, their menus take inspiration from Kumar’s Indian heritage. DeFrancisco said some flavors overlapped with her Sicilian background — like the pistachio flavor.

“Connecting to our roots is the biggest reason why we picked these flavors,” Kumar said. “It’s something that helps us stand out because … we want to make something that’s true to our own roots and our culture.”

Despite their first truck’s location in West Campus, Kumar said they wanted to bring Kriya closer to the UT community.

“I wanted to reconnect with this place because … UT Austin is an incredible place with incredible people,” Kumar said. “This place has a very special connection to me and my heart. Being able to serve the community here is really the main thing that drove me into wanting to do it here.”

Biology sophomore Johnson Pham and neuroscience sophomore Fiona Wang frequently drink matcha and said they enjoy Kriya Cafe’s new location due to its proximity and quality.

“(Kriya’s matcha) feels more like a drink instead of a dessert because some matchas can be really heavy, but (their matcha) feels refreshing,” Wang said.

In their time on campus, the couple said the reception from the students surprised them.

“We’re so surprised to see how much UT students are loving us and the brand and connecting with the mission that we have, which is to spread stillness,” Kumar said. “It’s really such a blessing, and we’re so grateful for everyone being so kind to us.”

DeFrancisco and Kumar said in the future they’re looking to serve matcha while continuing to spread their mission of stillness.

“The thing that I love about it so much is that no matter what’s going on in your day, the second you get that drink in your hand, you’re just there with it,” DeFrancisco said. “You feel so happy … and that’s what I hope everybody else feels too.”

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