Daily Inspiration: Meet Emily & Joe Macomber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily & Joe Macomber.

Hi Emily & Joe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Next Door Coffee is co-owned by Emily Macomber and Joe Macomber, we are a father-daughter business, and mom, Heidi is along for the journey as a volunteer. We’ve all worked in dialysis as this is what allowed us to travel often across the US. Joe is a dialysis RN, and Emily was a traveling dialysis tech and then became a barista in the Seattle area. Heidi has helped set up new dialysis clinics and is an entrepreneur.

Emily: Our coffee trailer journey started in the fall of 2022. I was looking for jobs and opportunities in TN and when they didn’t work out, started exploring small business options. It was an obvious choice: coffee. Growing up, my family moved around a lot. Since we left New York state in 2011, we have lived in HI twice, CA three or four times, AZ, WA, and now TN. We have always visited coffee shops as a way to learn about the new areas we’d moved to and we’ve grown to love the coffee community. Getting a job as a barista in the Seattle area opened up a new level of coffee awareness as I learned how complex and amazing quality coffee can be. During covid-19, I moved with my parents from WA to Tennessee. Even though I wasn’t working as a barista anymore, I bought a home espresso machine and a commercial-light espresso grinder and delved further into the art of coffee. The more I learned about coffee, the more my friends and family did.

I’m also a sci-fi fantasy author and my debut book series, The Dream Dealer’s Daughter launched as a podcast in 2022. But it can take a long time to pay the bills through writing as an independent author. One day, while talking to my parents about what to do, I looked to the driveway and saw my dad’s truck and travel trailer which had been sitting for two years unused. Our favorite thing about coffee shops and the reason why we seek them out everywhere we go is not only the coffee but the community. Coffee shops bring people together, and while we couldn’t afford to go into a brick motor right away, we had a truck and a trailer. And that was it—Dad and I started a coffee trailer business together, thanks to my parents’ willing and supportive attitude. Our goal is to connect with people through quality coffee in a mobile setting.

Joe: We’ve had to step out of our comfort zone in so many ways to make this happen. I had to learn plumbing and electrical for travel trailers, as well as learn how to be a barista. I’ve been a travel dialysis nurse for 19 years traveling all over the US. It’s been so fun and interesting to learn the chemistry of coffee because that’s what drew me to my medical specialty—the complex machinery, the science, and the people. So many people have been influential in helping us pull this off. My wife, Heidi researched food truck regulations, created the website, and designed many of the elements that make our barista bar possible. A good friend Sara Henderson got our social media presence started, our roaster has offered countless advice, and so many small business owners in the local area have given us opportunities and advice.

Heidi: I love projects and finding solutions to problems. Since Emily and Joe have bootstrapped the entire project we have had to come up with creative solutions to make most of the needed items such as the barista bar, removable boxes to protect and hide the water heater and heating pump, a bar curtain to conceal the under the bar area, a ceiling curtain to hide electrical elements, pop up shelves for the order and pickup windows, and most fun, designing lighting and signs that did not have to stay attached during travel to events. Our signs are made from corrugated plastic, felt, old tarps, PVC, and magnets. Our lights and menu sign attach to commercial broom holder wall mounts. Working with Emily and Joe, we came up with practical solutions from mostly found or recycled items for a fraction of the cost to buy them outright.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every small business is going to have obstacles that come out of nowhere, like when our bumper cracked and we had to take it to get welded last minute so we didn’t have to cancel a big event, or when our trailer decided it needed new tires just when we were planning on buying a second refrigerator. But our biggest challenge is finding our customers.

Being mobile, we don’t have a consistent location yet where we can expect regulars and get to know the same market.

Keeping our website and social media updated so our customers know where to find us is key. We continue to seek out locations that will allow us to serve coffee in their parking lots. So far, we have been fortunate to connect with some great companies who allow us to bring our coffee to their employees. We attend community festivals and serve coffee at events on the weekends. We are adventurers and are always up for a challenge, so we keep pushing every day regardless of the obstacles and there have been many obstacles.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are a coffee shop that is mobile. We are known for our fresh quality coffee as we have a commercial espresso machine onboard, and we use a local roaster that roasts weekly. We use Sky Bear Coffee which is a woman-owned business. Lesa Wood has been roasting specialty coffee for 15 years in Nashville and we wouldn’t be where we are today without her. We are quite proud of our Dalla Corte EVO2 espresso machine and the fact that is lead-free. Not many espresso machines can say that. Also, our water filtration system (BWT Best Max) uses multilayer filtration to protect not only our machine but also the espresso in your cup. We have a creative flair, and this shows up in our fun drink line. We have a fresh fun take on popular drinks and are always experimenting with flavor combinations through house-made syrups. We like to have a drink for everyone, so we add keto-friendly options too.

What sets us apart? We care about quality and take extra steps to ensure our product is always fresh. This includes beans but also milk that we transport to events. We embrace technology so that we can transition between generator and battery power and keep track of refrigeration temperature. Because we love coffee, we want to make sure that your experience will always meet our expectations as a coffee customer.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
tempi.fi – it’s an app that connects to the Bluetooth thermometer we use to keep track of our milk fridge temperatures.

Stride – We use an app called Stride to track all of our mileage going to and from events.

Toast – Our POS system includes an app called TOAST Takeout where you can find us to place online orders.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nextdoorcoffee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextdoorcoffeellc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NextDoorCoffeeLLC/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextdoorcoffee  and Emily Macomber – Science Fantasy Author & Podcast Producer
• Sky Bear Coffee: https://www.skybearcoffee.com

Image Credits
Next Door Coffee