Frank and his wife Michelle La opened Be Bright Coffee in 2020 as a direct-to-consumer roasting company. Their goal was to make coffee as easy as possible by offering four distinct taste categories: Dark & Bold, Rich & Smooth, Bright & Lively, and Unique & Surprising. Since launching during the pandemic, Be Bright expanded by wholesaling to cafes and restaurants in LA. In 2021, Frank opened a pop-up coffee stand at Smorgasburg LA, and then a brick-and-mortar location on Melrose Avenue in October 2022.
Be Bright is known for their specialty beverages like the Vivid Cream Latte, a brown sugar latte topped with sweet cold foam and a dusting of cocoa powder, and their Ultralight Bean Caramel Latte. Customers have fallen in love with Be Bright’s seasonal beverages as well, like the Pumpkin Pie Latte made with real pumpkin that’s been cold-pressed and cooked in freshly ground spices before being made into a syrup.
In 2024, Frank La of Be Bright Coffee won the U.S. Barista Championship. As the winner, La represented the United States in the World Barista Championship in May in Busan, South Korea.