When Michele Mittelbuscher moved to the Port City two years ago from Washington state, she soon realized that the beloved drive-thru coffee shops she was so used to seeing on the West Coast were basically non-existent here.  

While there are coffee shops that offer drive-thru windows, most are not designed solely as quick service drive-thrus.

Now, Mittelbuscher, along with partners Jesse Marthaller and Mark Hanson, has launched Three Friends Coffee at 5224 Market St. in the King Vape parking lot across from Jason’s Deli. The Three Friends trailer offers a double drive-thru and walk-up window.

Mittelbuscher said she and her partners searched for a location for their trailer for about nine months before striking a deal with King Vapor to lease a portion of its parking lot.

“This is something that’s very popular on the West Coast but is still somewhat of a new concept here,” Mittelbuscher said. “Out West, many of the coffee drive-thru’s are called java huts and are built out of either shipping containers or sheds."

While the group initially envisioned a shipping container to house their shop, they eventually decided upon a unit with wheels that will allow them to change locations if necessary. While they don’t intend to be a mobile unit serving from multiple locations like a food truck, they agreed that as a new concept, having mobility was important.

In addition to serving hot and iced coffee and espresso drinks, Three Friends Coffee will also serve lotus energy drinks, made with extract from the lotus plant.

One ounce of the extract contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, said Mittelbuscher, which is equivalent to one shot of espresso.

The all-natural, organic lotus extract is loaded with vitamin B-12, and nutrients that are good for the hair, skin and nails, and memory,  Mittelbuscher said. Plus, it provides caffeine without the jitters sometimes caused by coffee. The lotus extract is mixed with club soda and flavored syrups to create an Italian soda-type beverage to which coconut milk or whipped cream can be added.

Three Friends Coffee can also incorporate vanilla and chocolate ice cream into its concoctions to create affogatos and milkshakes, as well as smoothies and hot chocolate.

Three Friends has partnered with Gluten Free by the Sea and Cravings to provide healthy sweets and snacks with lots of gluten free and vegan options.

The partners said they believe this is a replicable business model and hope to expand to other areas of town, including the beaches.

Three Friends Coffee is open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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