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With 12 years of experience as a barista, when Jessa Horder decided to start her own business, she did it in the most Tres Pinos way possible: converting a horse trailer into a mobile coffee shop with major assistance from her father, Matt Horder. Thus was born The Coffee Hitch Co., the town’s newest must-visit business.
“My dad battled me for a little bit,” she said. “He said we should just buy a pre-made food trailer. I said, ‘No, it has to be a horse trailer.’ And I’m really happy with the decision because I feel it just fits the town’s aesthetic, and, since I’ve always been into horses, it fits me, too.”
Horder began working in coffee shops while she was still in high school, finding the flexible hours were a perfect fit with her study schedule. With no particular career direction upon graduation, she stayed with it, rising to a management position at Java Express within four years.
“I just really enjoyed the work,” she said. “I never wanted to go anywhere else or do anything else. I’m a really fast learner, and I’ve always picked up on things really quickly, so it wasn’t hard for me to learn.”
Horder’s first independent business was baking, making sourdough bread and selling it from a small stand in front of her house once a week. As demand grew, she began selling it through the Tres Pinos Farmstand, across the street from where she now parks her coffee trailer.
Though the sourdough business was going very well, she yearned to have her own coffee business. She’d seen social media posts of horse trailers converted into food trucks, and it seemed like a perfect fit.
Horder’s father removed all the panels and dividers and the steel wall that separated the back from the front. The interior was paneled in wood, and a new subfloor was added. It was fitted out with everything she needed, from countertops to electricity and plumbing, and, after getting her permits approved, she opened on Dec 13.
“The process was super easy,” she said. “And for the menu, I kind of just took what I knew had sold from my previous job. I also look on social media for what people are drinking. But my algorithm is all coffee, and I know what people like.”
On a good day, Horder can see as many as 300 customers, with steady traffic from locals and travelers en route to tourist sites such as Pinnacles National Park, or to events like the San Benito County Fair or the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo.
And though the trailer is small, she carries a wide variety of beverages, beginning with standard fare such as drip coffee, Americanos, espressos, mochas, cappuccinos, and lattes. Horder used two Pacific Star Coffees: the house medium-roast blend and a whole-bean espresso, both 100% Arabica and sustainably and ethically sourced.
There are variations, of course. The White Mocha, for example, adds milk and white chocolate powder and the Vanilla Latte is made with vanilla syrup and can be customized with cold foam. (Lattes can also be made with a variety of other syrups.)
Horder also offers a line of teas, including green, black, mint, and chamomile, as well as matcha, chai, lemonade, and Italian sodas in 15 flavors, including strawberry, watermelon, peach, blue raspberry, red raspberry, lime, and coconut.
One of her favorite ingredients to play with is White Lotus Energy Drink syrup, which contains botanical extracts like cascara, Jerusalem artichoke, guayusa tea and elderberry, as well as ashwagandha and natural caffeine from green coffee beans.
“It’s nice to have something that’s not always just coffee,” Horder said. “White Lotus has been really popular with everyone who comes by and tries it. They always come back for it.”
Having her own place now means that Horder can put her own spin on a changing menu of monthly specials, such as these April offerings:
- Banana Bread Latte – This popular drink features banana syrup, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon infused directly into espresso shots, finished with vanilla cold foam and cinnamon sugar powder. “I really like banana bread,” Horder said, “and I like the taste of it in a coffee. To me, it tastes exactly like a banana bread. It comes iced, but people have also been getting it hot.”
- Ube Cloud – She was inspired to create this drink after finding that ube, a sweet purple yam from the Philippines, was trending on social media and in other coffee shops. “To be honest,” she said, “I really didn’t know what it was, but once I saw it, I knew it was something I wanted to try.” The drink starts with an iced coconut latte as a base, and Holder finishes it with ube cold foam and a garnish of coconut flakes. The layered brown-and-purple presentation is a delight in itself.
- Lavender Dream – Holder describes this lavender-flavored latte as a “classic” that has gained significant popularity in the coffee world over the last few years. She prefers it iced, which enhances the less-sweet floral flavor, but it can also be served hot.
- Peaches and Cream – One of the drinks using Lotus Energy Drink, Holder mixes it with club soda and white peach and tops it with cream. “I add some fun little candies on top,” she said, “That’s my second favorite of the specials.”
“At my previous job,” Horder said, “there were 25 to 30 employees, and everybody had to make the drinks the same way. But here, since it’s just me, I get to be a lot more creative. I really like having those extra things to add to the basic menu.”
(Though the above are the April specials, all except the Ube Cloud will be available afterward on request.)
Open for fewer than six months, Horder has already become attached to her growing and dedicated clientele
“It’s really cool to just do something for myself by myself,” she said. “I like being able to make people’s coffee every day, having short conversations with people every day. checking in with people every day. The people are what really make it fun.”
The Coffee Hitch Co. is located across the street from the Tres Pinos Farmstand at 6980 Airline Hwy, Tres Pinos.
Hours:
Wednesday-Friday: 6:30 a.m. – noon
Saturday-Sunday: 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Monday-Tuesday: closed
The Coffee Hitch Co. is on Instagram as @coffeehitchco
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
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