A blend of the old and the new

Nathanael Johnson’s business approach is a blend of 21st Century smarts and 20th Century tradition.
The young owner of Cafe Mosaic in Eunice and Reve Coffee Roasters in Lafayette wants to grow his business opportunities.
At the same time, he wants to help others pursue theirs.
Johnson opened his cafe on South Second Street several years ago, beginning in what was essentially the shell of a building, working day and night for six months to get it going.
“With the help of family, friends and God, it worked”, he said during a recent interview at Mosaic.
From there, Johnson expanded his business interest to Lafayette, eventually becoming a certified coffee roaster and opening his roasting company in that city.
The shop on West Pinhook has a number of proprietary blends and Reve recently went in the Whole Foods stores in Louisiana.
Busy as that sounds, Johnson said he is looking at a couple of other business opportunities, as well as contemplating a possible expansion of Cafe Mosaic in the region.
And while his business ventures occupy time and energy, Johnson also wants to be a vibrant part of his community.
“The way I look at it,” the 29-year-old entrepreneur said, “if you are not involved in the community, you’re not a citizen.”
That was one of the driving forces when he opened Mosaic.
“I wanted to give back to Eunice, to provide a place for people to gather, with their music, with their art, in a decent environment,” he said.
That decision came after two years at LSU Eunice and the realization that “I couldn’t be a rock star.”
Eight years later, the Mosaic flourishes in the 100-year-old building on South Second.
Earlier this year, Johnson gave a scholarship donation to the LSUE Foundation, to fund a new scholarship for students majoring in business.
He said he is anxious to build up the scholarship in the next few years so that business students can see the possibilities of realizing their dreams.