By Claire Van Zee | Reporter
Kurbside Coffee, one of Waco’s newest storefront coffee shops, is bringing something new and different to the Waco coffee community.
Located in Union Hall at 720 Franklin Ave., Kurbside is celebrating culture through their one-of-a-kind, culturally inclusive menu.
The name Kurbside came about in honor of the traditional Mexican street sellers,“paleteros,” who sell items like ice cream, tacos and corn, said one of the four co-founders, Will Suarez.
“We really just want to celebrate our heritage,” Suarez said. “Personally, I’m super grateful to my parents who immigrated here to give me a better future. There are so many people like us, who are having success because of their parents and the culture that raised them.”
Saurez said Kurbside is their way of saying thank you to the culture that allowed them to be where they are.
The coffee shop’s founders are two couples, Ismael and Kayla Olvera as well as Will and Claudia Suarez. They spent months brainstorming ways they could intertwine their hispanic culture into the menu.
“We are trying to incorporate our heritage with products that are already out there,” Suarez said.
With items such as the fan-favorite Mexican beverage the “Dirty Horchata,” mixed with espresso, and the “Conchella,” a Mexican bread filled with Nutella and fruit, Kurbside completely reimagined some of the most traditional hispanic foods.
Kurbside was originally established in Mexia in 2017. The founders knew that if they wanted to expand their sales, they would need to get more exposure in Waco, or somewhere other than Mexia, Suarez said.
So they headed to the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, where they still have a booth every Saturday, before opening their first storefront in Union Hall this January.
Kurbside Coffee barista Rachel Cloer believes Union Hall and the farmers market put Kurbside in the perfect place.
“I feel like Kurbside is good about initiating conversations around culture,” Cloer said. “We have people come up and ask certain questions like ‘What is this?’ or ‘What is that like?’ I think having hispanic culture in it is really awesome and really just brings something different to Waco. It’s not like regular coffee because we put our own little Mexican twist to it.”
The company also expanded by collaborating with other businesses in town. Most recently, they have collaborated with Milk Bottle Cookies to a make the mazapan cookie and William Hoyt Bagel and Brew to make the churro bagel.
Within the next few months, Kurbside Coffee will be adding a new trailer location outside the First Methodist Waco Wesley House at 821 Speight Ave.
“It’s going to be right in the hub of everything,” Suarez said.
