Mobile Coffee Business Brings a Buzz of Excitement Everywhere It Goes in Santa Barbara

Although I’ve freelanced for the Independent since 2016, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to the office. When June Haupts offered to roll her mobile coffee installation, Welcome Coffee Cart, to the Independent offices so I could see her in action for our interview, I jumped at the chance. Under the shade of a jacaranda tree, Haupts brought her state-of-the-art La Marzocco espresso machine, a blend of beans she roasts herself, Mizuba matcha, lavender syrup made with flowers from her own yard, music, a beautiful bench, and perhaps the most important ingredient: buoyant community-feeding energy.

“Being in the private events world means I get the unique privilege of being a fly on the wall for big moments in people’s lives,” Haupts said. “I love meeting all types of humans, from families celebrating at weddings, and students finishing up finals week, to hardworking people taking their coveted coffee breaks. Everyone is stoked to have the coffee cart, providing an alternative to alcohol, energizing the party, or bringing camaraderie to the workplace.”

Whether you’re a freelancer or just recovering from COVID isolation, Welcome Coffee Cart provides that perfect caffeine-infused watering hole to bond with colleagues. The coffee beans are meticulously sourced, the velvety foam and detailed latte art is on point, and the espresso is smooth and robust, but even if all of these aspects were at a different cart, I doubt it would be able to stir the same conviviality that Haupts’s genuine kindness and joie de vivre seem to inspire.