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Jace Camarillo, founder of The Exit Plan
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The Exit Plan menu
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A matcha drink from The Exit Plan
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Strawberry matcha sparkling lemonade from The Exit Plan
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Camarillo preps matcha for a drink.
When Jace Camarillo was thinking of a name for his mobile matcha bar, his choice spoke to his journey of liberation. Unapologetically transgender, queer and Mexican, he says, “It’s not just a matcha cart. It is a way of drafting and creating your own exit plans. It’s a way of empowering yourself and empowering others to be able to be their own bosses.”
At the May edition of First Fridays in Richmond’s Arts District, Camarillo, 26, debuted The Exit Plan, a pop-up beverage business that blends Japanese and Mexican ingredients and serves sips including blueberry and banana matcha lattes, horchata, and other seasonal specials. But there’s a much larger, life-changing mission at its core: funding Camarillo’s emigration from the United States.
“With my business, I decided I was going to really, really focus, so I could come up with a plan to leave the United States and save money to do so,” he says. “The Exit Plan really started with me wanting to leave; you know, it’s called The Exit Plan.”
Camarillo, a California native, sees the business as his way of turning survival into strategy. Its name is a declaration, and the venture — and the money it earns — is a strategy for a new beginning overseas. The vision echoes through every element of The Exit Plan, underpinned by a motto of “Empower, escape, exist.” Beverage sleeves are stamped with a red figure in motion running toward a door, and on the front of his wood-trimmed cart adorned with a vibrant green umbrella is a poster that reads, “Each cup is a step towards reclaiming autonomy in a country that refused to protect us.”
Growing up, Camarillo says, he faced many hurdles. He’s heard words of discouragement and a lack of understanding from family, survived an abusive relationship, handled phobia and resentment, and learned to move forward despite carrying the weight of living in a system and society that at times has made him feel like he doesn’t belong.
Relocating to Richmond earlier this year, he views The Exit Plan as a proud proclamation of his identity and a way to propel his future. Now, his message feels particularly timely. June is Pride Month, and last weekend major cities across the country erupted with protests in response to the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration raids. The son of a Mexican immigrant, Camarillo says the administration’s stance is clear. His feelings, however, are not new.
After Donald Trump’s first victory in the 2016 presidential election, Camarillo says, “He had gotten elected, and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, what are we going to do with our futures? How are we going to live our lives, being, you know, trans, queer, person of color, like, what are we going to do?’”
That fear was magnified when a close friend of Camarillo’s took their own life in December.
“He was another trans person, Mexican as well, queer. I really looked up to him. After that happened, I felt like, ‘Well, he did it, and he was the strongest person I know; I’m not as strong as him,” Camarillo says. “ At that moment, I was like, ‘I need to leave the U.S.’ That was kind of my catalyst of being like, ‘I want to leave here. This is not OK. This is not normal. People shouldn't have to live this way.’”
A banana matcha latte from The Exit Plan
Camarillo found community through coffee. He initially began as a home barista, making drinks for friends on an AeroPress. At 17, he decided he wanted to open a cafe, and at 18, he found himself embarking on a chapter that would align with his dream.
After submitting a proposal outlining his vision to create a safe third space through coffee, he was admitted to Waseda University and spent a year living in Japan. “I got a grant with the U.S. Department of State. I just wrote about what my mission was, which was to have that type of space for people and create a network for others to kind of be in and be safe.”
The experience would deepen his appreciation for coffee culture and bring him peace in his personal journey. It was one of the first times, he says, that he was rarely misgendered and fully immersed in an environment that wholeheartedly celebrates small businesses and people honing their crafts. Referring to the Japanese term ichigyo-zammai, meaning full concentration on a single act, Camarillo says, “A lot of those people in those small businesses really own their craft. … They’re putting their whole hearts into it.”
Upon returning to the U.S., he worked at specialty coffee shops in Las Vegas. During a two-month-long trip to Japan after the pandemic, the business major made a matcha connection: He befriended a local grower who was working to rehabilitate area matcha farms.
“Seeing how much love was put into that, it’s really astounding, and seeing everything that goes into matcha, and seeing the little farming community,” Camarillo says. “I got a new appreciation for matcha. There’s just as much love and culture in matcha as there is with coffee.”
Matcha soon became the center of his vision. The finely ground Japanese green tea also afforded him a low startup cost — no expensive espresso machine needed — and a portable operation that fits snuggly in his Honda hatchback. Since launching, The Exit Plan has popped up at First Fridays, Buna Kurs Ethiopian Cafe, Julio’s Bagels, local markets and beyond. All drinks are made to order, iced and feature housemade syrups. The menu has also featured hojicha, a Japanese roasted green tea, and horchata, the Mexican rice milk drink.
Rooted in action rather than retreat, The Exit Plan is a political statement and form of defiance via drinks. During a time when many feel helpless as they watch the oppression of others, or simply stuck in the rut of life, Camarillo says he hopes he can shine some light on a path forward. He wants his business to be a framework to inspire others, an invitation to take initiative.
“It is an act of rebellion, really, to be a small business,” he says. “That is you standing up against capitalism, against the big businesses, being able to control your own income. It’s extremely important.”
Camarillo continues, “I think people see my passion and my transparency. This is an active protest against capitalism, against us being in these terrible situations. I’m trying to make money to live, at the end of the day, I want people to see that. If you are paying your own bills, doing something that you love, you’re winning, totally winning.”
Upcoming pop-ups for The Exit Plan include the Prideteenth Market at 4915 Government Road on June 20 (5 to 8 p.m.), a Matcha Mingle at the Richmond Movement Center on June 21 (12:45 to 2 p.m.), Carytown Pride on June 22 (noon to 5 p.m.), Spotty Dog Ice Cream Co. on June 28 (noon to 2 p.m.) and Rumors Pride on June 29 (noon to 4 p.m.).
