The big picture
Sightseer Coffee is one of over 30 coffee vendors participating in the third annual Austin Coffee Festival at the Palmer Events Center on Sept. 28 and 29.
The weekend will highlight roasters, coffee shop owners and baristas with tastings included for ticket-holders. Live music, a latte art throwdown and coffee conversations will also take place over the two-day event.
Five coffee vendors on the festival lineup shared their business’ stories with Community Impact.
Sightseer Coffee
Zash said she noticed that while most coffee farms use women to pick the beans, men usually have the leadership roles. Over time, she had an idea to create a gender-equitable business that propped up women.
While Zash and Gibson make sure Sightseer’s coffee is up to customer standards, they try not to take themselves too seriously, Zash said. The duo keeps it light by selling coffee roasts called Dad Bod and Space Cowboy in an attempt to bring the “old Austin” vibe back.
“It’s not a cookie-cutter modern coffee shop,” Zash said. “It’s cute, it’s funky; it’s a vibe.”
Red Horn Coffee
At Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co., which has been around since 2015, both coffee and beer are brewed.
Director of Coffee Operations Marco Leal said they roast in-house and typically create an interactive drink for visitors to enjoy at the coffee festival, such as sake bomb-styled coffee shots.
“It culminates the coffee community, seeing people interact in that way,” Leal said. “Coffee is really synonymous with community, and being able to create that really short experience is what we’re trying to do out there.”
Little City Coffee Roasters
After moving to Austin in 2003, Joel Shuler said he felt like the Brazilian coffee selection was lacking. Having played soccer in the South American country, he felt compelled to learn more about bringing good Brazilian coffee to Austin.
Shuler’s journey led him to become a certified Q grader and instructor with the Coffee Quality Institute, open Casa Brasil Coffees and receive a master's degree in agricultural engineering.
By 2012, Little City Coffee Roasters was coming close to shutting its doors, he said.
“In my opinion, it was the best coffee shop in Austin,” Shuler said. “So we purchased that to keep it going.”
Shuler, based in Brazil, now owns both Little City Coffee Roasters and Casa Brasil Coffees.
Trianon Coffee
Right off Bee Caves Road lies one of Austin’s oldest coffee companies, Trianon Coffee, which opened in 1985.
Now-owner Charles Emile Lauriat said the shop has over 25 roasts for customers to try and that he has direct relationships with a handful of farmers Trianon works with.
“There’s not just one coffee for everybody,” Lauriat said. “ We don't need to tell you what your favorite is. You get to decide.”
Dog Day Coffee
Owners Mark Tovar and Erika Luck run Dog Day Coffee, a 3-year-old business that specializes in nitro cold brews. Tovar has an extensive background in creating cold drinks, such as beer and kombucha, Luck said.
“He just was really interested in tapping into nitro cold brew and where that can go,” Luck said. “We’ve started doing really interesting stuff with nitro coffee in general. You can’t find the drinks we make anywhere else.”
The shop’s most popular drink is the Dirty Earl, a drink combining nitro cold brew with nitro earl grey tea while incorporating oat milk and simple syrup. Dog Day Coffee relocated beneath Marq on Burnet apartments on Aug. 31.
What else?
Tickets for the festival range from $24-$58, with early bird specials. Live music includes performances from JERMAINE, Kelvin Thomas, Brandon Hughes and JoAnna Lee, according to the festival’s website.
- Sept. 28-29, times vary
- Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road, Austin
- www.austincoffeefestival.com
