Meet the Whitlows: from food truck to First Street

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Dana and Chris Whitlow didn't plan on a storefront. For three summers they parked a converted horse trailer near the beach access and sold cold brew to surfers coming out of the water.

Starting small

"We had one grinder and a cooler," Dana says. "If the line got past six people, we were in trouble."

The line got past six people most mornings. By the second summer they were roasting their own beans in a rented kitchen, a few pounds at a time, and writing the roast date on each bag by hand.

We never wanted to be the biggest coffee shop at the Beaches. We wanted to be the one where they know your dog's name.

The move to First Street

The shop opened in 2017 in a former bait and tackle store. The original counter is still there, sanded down and sealed.

What do people order most? The honey oat latte, by a wide margin. Chris still thinks the plain drip is better.

What's next? A second roaster, and a Saturday class for anyone who wants to learn to brew at home.

You can find them most mornings behind the counter, and at the Neptune Beach market on the first weekend of the month.