While no stranger to owning a business, Alicen Breaux was looking for something a little different – and thanks to her new venture, her surroundings will stay fresh each day.
The Bayou Gauche woman and her family might even pop up closer than you’d expect nearby. The family has launched a mobile coffee trailer that will make stops at multiple locations throughout the parish on a weekly basis.
Breaux said the mobile shop, called Rise + Grind, wheld grand opening today (June 27) at the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville. That ceremonial opening occurred after approximately a month open, however, and Breaux said the support of local residents has been overwhelming.
“I know people in our parish are generally very supportive, but even so I was kind of floored. People here really like to support one another. It’s been great,” Breaux said. “It’s been fun, it’s been exciting and we definitely appreciate everyone.”
Breaux notes the primary offerings of the trailer as The Three L’s – Lattes, Loaded Teas and (fresh) Lemonade, adding “we will have hot and cold coffee drinks along with energy teas and kids drinks.”
But beyond the product, the idea behind this idea, Breaux said, is about businesses supporting one another. Breaux works with each business that Rise + Grind will visit, the aim being that the coffee shop will bring customer traffic to that business and vice versa. She said that the family will also be collecting business cards from people within the community in order to help others to get some business promotion.
“It’s just trying to be supportive of other businesses in the parish,” Breaux said. “That business model is what I’m most excited about.”
For Breaux, it’s a blend of skills built over several ventures – she was an owner of Snap Fitness in Luling prior to selling it about seven years ago, and works in network marketing.
The idea came from a friend of Breaux’s who owned a coffee trailer in a different area – “we wanted her to come out in our direction, but she wanted to stay in her region,” said Breaux.
“At the same time, I have a teenage son who was looking for a job, and he plays sports – it can be tough to find a job and balance that with that schedule,” she said.
That coffee trailer idea just stuck with Breaux, who had been interested in starting a new business locally and loved the concept of working with and helping support other businesses in St. Charles Parish along the way.
Not to mention – it would represent a different spot, a different view and a different experience every day, along with plenty of flexibility.
“I told my husband, ‘I think I want a mobile coffee trailer.’ And once I decide something, my personality is that I’m going to go 100 miles per hour and figure out how to make it work,” Breaux said.
Breaux’s a Bayou Gauche native who attended Nicholls State University and lived in Thibodaux. Once her first son was born, she knew she wanted to return to St. Charles Parish.
She posts monthly and week-to-week schedules on the Rise + Grind Facebook page to let people know when and where the coffee trailer can be found.