Meet the Founders
We're Not Just Serving Coffee.
We're Fueling Dreams.
Meet Ariel and Clayton — two Cleveland natives who believe great coffee, genuine connection, and community care can spark a city's comeback.
Scroll to meet the crew
Why We Exist
The reason
behind the cup.
Istarted Wake Up CLE because I care about my kids, and the kids who haven't been born yet, and the generations of Cleveland kids who deserve to inherit something better than what we got.
I care about soil because soil is the start of everything. I care about wellness because I have seen, in my own life and in my community, what happens when wellness becomes available — and what happens when it does not.
I am in school to become a doctor because I want to understand health the way it actually works — whole-body, holistic, integrative, Ayurvedic in its roots and clinical in its rigor.
Everything touches everything. It takes a village.
That is not a slogan to me. It is the operating principle of this company.
— Ariel Brent, Co-Founder
Ariel's favorite drink: The Golden Focus
Ariel Brent
Co-Founder — Brand & Ops
Systems brain. Flavor-obsessed. Community builder.
- Believes coffee can be clean fuel + conversation starter
- Heartbeat behind brand, flow, and partnerships
- Bridges East + West Cleveland with love + wellness
Clay's ritual: perfect dialed-in espresso + blueprint sketches
Clayton Marshall
Co-Founder — Build & Bar
Builder by trade. Bar architect by instinct.
- Left construction superintendent role to build people + spaces
- Dialed-in on shot quality, water, temp, and flow state
- Designs the rig like a container kitchen: clean, light-filled, efficient
Our Coffee Partner
Where Our Coffee
Comes From
We source our beans from Duck Rabbit because they share our standard — specialty quality, local roots, real care. The philosophy is ours; the partnership is because they live up to it.
In Partnership With
WAKE UP CLE
×
DUCK RABBIT COFFEE
Cleveland, Ohio
Our Pillars
What We Stand On
Clean Fuel
Real ingredients. No weird stuff. Dialed-in coffee, bright juice, joyful smoothies.
Third-Space Energy
A place to pause, vibe, and feel better — in person and in your feed.
Bridge-Builders
East & West. Corporate & community. Content & real life. We're for all of Cleveland.
Give-Back Built-In
The Wake Up CLE Impact Fund helps us serve more, charge less where it matters.
From Idea to Engine
Sketches & Samples
Trailer Build
Dial-In Days
Hit the Streets
Scale the Story
Want us at your morning?
Book the truck for your team, block, or brand. Memberships and corporate programs available.