Sunshine Sister Coffee Company keeps customers pumped up

A trio of friends has turned their love of coffee into a popular space at the Chestnut Grove Food Truck Court in Bastrop. For sisters Adeline and Katie Gordon, and Mike Marin (Katie’s husband), it all came together for the three owners when they recently opened Sunshine Sister Coffee Company.

“I decided to move back to Texas after a year of living in New York. Mike and Katie were living in Lexington (near Giddings) after having moved from Austin,” Adeline said. “After visiting them I realized the Bastrop area was missing specialty coffee shops. We had been looking in the general area of Bastrop and found the food court on Chestnut Street.”

Mike added, “The three of us had not had a business together before. Addie had lived with us while she was in college. We three became close. We had the idea (for a coffee business) and the opportunity was here. We trusted each other enough to jump on that idea. Running this business has brought us even closer – we really enjoy working together.”

“Mike had checked out the food-truck court early, when there were just a few trailers here,” Katie said. “We got on the waiting list while we were building out our own trailer. We were lucky enough to get a spot here. It was the nicest food truck court we saw and it was our first choice for a good location. We love being in downtown Bastrop. The small-town charm and friendly community are tops.”

Sisters offers varied coffees. “We offer a broad variety with espresso, cold brew, matcha, tea and lemonade. We also rotate menus based on the season,” Adeline said. “Our signature Sunmilk, which is our in-house coffee creamer, is also very popular.” Some of the coffee styles include Americano, cappuccino, lattes, mochas and ‘dirty chai.’ Non-coffee beverages include black and green teas, lemonades and hot chocolate. If you need that shot of caffeine early in the morning, Sunshine Sister accommodates customers, opening at 6:30 a.m. Monday-Friday (closed Wednesday), and from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The trio decided early on that they wanted locally roasted beans. “We had a friend and mentor in Lexington that shared his coffee roasting knowledge with us,” Adeline said. “We decided after some education and research to start roasting our own beans. This allows us to control the quality and freshness of our coffee.”

Adeline gained knowledge working as a barista for three years in college. “I was very comfortable working an espresso machine and was able to share my knowledge with Mike and Katie,” Adeline said. “Katie was able to use her graphic design and marketing skills to promote our business. Mike used his background in construction to help us build and maintain our trailer.”

The move of some major industries to Bastrop, plus the popularity of the town’s many annual events was also a draw for starting their coffee business. “We noticed an increase in business and tourism here, most likely due to the new business and projects coming to the area like Space X and Tesla,” Adeline said. “Also the local downtown events have seemed to become even more popular – Boo Bash, Mardi Gras, and the Veterans Day Car Show Weekend. There are a lot of great businesses and things to do around town, including at the food court. We are so happy Bastrop has opened their arms to us and allowed us to serve them.”

Photos and Article By Terry Hagerty – Contributing Writer