House Brew founder Manning Bergeron got into the coffee business in 2024 in part because coffee is one of those things that makes people happy. The young entrepreneur also likes the idea of the coffee shop as a social haven, a place where friends gather, strangers meet and conversations flow. After launching House Brew as a mobile cart, then a pop-up with an extended residency in the Mid City bar Pelican to Mars, Bergeron is finally realizing the coffee house dream. Next week, a brick-and-mortar version of House Brew officially opens at 278 North St. in downtown Baton Rouge. House Brew even sells bright blue branded stickers at the cash register promoting “community over competition.”