Today we’d like to introduce you to Adeline Gordon. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Adeline and her sister, Katie, have a great passion for coffee that started as teenagers and has since grown. Especially during the pandemic when they were all under the same roof and accessing coffee shops was complex. They bought their first espresso machine and created an at-home coffee bar.
We are trying different recipes and coffee beans to get the perfect cup. We frequent coffee shops and know what good coffee is. Katie, Michael, and Addie were all living together in Austin. After Addie graduated from UT, she moved to New Jersey. During that year, Katie and Michael, Katie’s husband, recently drove an hour east of Austin and missed the short trips to get fresh, good local coffee. When Adeline moved back to the Austin area, she had the idea to start a coffee trailer in Bastrop. She and Michael had the opportunity to start this dream with the help of Katie. We are happy to be able to provide amazing coffee and spread joy in the small community of Bastrop. We now have a coffee trailer in Downtown Bastrop’s Chestnut Grove Food Truck Court. We already have a loyal and dedicated customer base that we appreciate! We love that the colorful and friendly hand-painted trailer is a bright spot in people’s day. We roast coffee in the small trailer with recently upgraded equipment to provide the best service possible. Our coffee is always fresh-roasted the same week it is served. Michael and Addie work the trailer daily, and Katie does marketing and works on Saturdays.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been relatively smooth so far?
It was very challenging. We struggled to get financing initially, and once we did everything we ordered, it was damaged or broken when we got it. We finally got our trailer and did not have the funds to get it vinyl-wrapped, so we decided to hand-paint it. We quickly realized that it would have to be sanded down to the metal before we could paint it. We painstakingly sanded down the entire trailer, breaking 2 sanders in the process. It took 3 weeks of work every day to get it painted. This was all done in the record-breaking heat of this last summer. After the painting was finished, it was time to work on the inside. We ordered everything we needed and had to return alot that came damaged. It was then onto permits. The permitting process took about a month, with many obstacles to overcome. Before the trailer opened, Mike was still working full-time. We opened a month later than planned, but we were so happy when we could start serving. We had a great opening weekend with lots of support and satisfied customers. We quickly got a good customer base. We were swamped and broke 2 smaller espresso machines before we could get the funding for new commercial-grade equipment that could keep up with demand. Now, our biggest obstacle is keeping up with demand and storage.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Sunshine Sister Coffee Company?
We are a coffee trailer in Downtown Bastrop, Texas. We roast our coffee beans in small batches in our little trailer daily. Our coffee is roasted the same week it is served. We also make our sweet coffee creamer called Sunmilk. It has been so popular we started selling it in bottles for customers to take home. We are open every day but Wednesday. We have a tiny staff with just Adeline and Michael working every day, so we have a personal and friendly relationship with all the customers. Our extensive menu includes espresso, tea, matcha, and lemonade-based drinks. We put out seasonal menus and special holiday drinks. We also collaborate with other food trucks to offer special drinks and food items. For instance, we use Smoked Pecan from Smoked Love BBQ instead of our Pecan Pie Chai; we also offer smoked coffee beans. We frequently provide food from other vendors, such as Crepe Burritos from Abelitos, Johnson’s Bakery pastries, and Cutie Pie quiche.
How do you define success?
Success to us bringing joy to the people of Bastrop and the surrounding areas while doing something that we love and growing our business. We would love to open several brick-and-mortar locations one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: sunshinesistercoffee.com
- Instagram: sunshinesistercoffee
- Facebook: sunshinesistercoffeecompany
Image Credits
Katie Gordon
