Lori Traficanti (left) works her mobile coffee trailer with her husband. (Images courtesy Lori Traficanti)
Less than a year after launching her own mobile coffee business, one local woman is bringing Goochland County its only independent coffee shop later this year.
Lori Traficanti this fall plans to open the first brick-and-mortar location for Sipping Sunshine Cafe, which she currently runs out of a mobile trailer in Goochland.
Slated for 2913 River Road West in Goochland’s courthouse area, the new Sipping Sunshine Cafe will be the county’s only dedicated coffee shop outside of a Dunkin’ location at 2738 Fairground Road in the Goochland Square shopping center.
Traficanti said that the lack of a physical coffee shop in the area is a common complaint she’s heard from her customers, county leaders and local business owners.
“There’s not a dedicated coffee shop. … I realized if I don’t do this, somebody else might,” she said. “People want to have a place to meet for coffee … there are several restaurants (with coffee), and they’re all lovely, but you’re getting a full meal when you go in there.”
Traficanti has had several careers, first working as a barista in college, where she became interested in the coffee world, and later working as a teacher. She currently lives 20 minutes west of Goochland in Cartersville, though her in-laws live in Goochland.
Wanting to return to the coffee industry after several years of teaching, Traficanti, with the help of her husband, opened Sipping Sunshine Cafe as a Goochland-based mobile coffee and espresso operation last year.
Traficanti currently runs the mobile business from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the parking lot of Blue Ridge Custom Homes, a homebuilder located on River Road in the corner of Courthouse Circle in Goochland. She also works the rustic-looking coffee bar on weekends, driving it around to various weddings and corporate events in the area.
The cart offers classic coffee drinks, baked goods, as well as a wide array of specialty drinks, with summer specials like a snickerdoodle latte and a s’mores mocha.
“It’s been a big hit in Goochland. We’ve had a very nice following and a good customer base,” Traficanti said of how business has been since opening the cart last year.
While the mobile business was a good foot in the door, Traficanti said it’s been her goal to open her own permanent shop, adding that cold temperatures in the winter months and very hot temperatures in summer can sometimes make the cart business unstable.
The exterior of the planned Sipping Sunshine Cafe at 2913 River Road West.
When she heard a space was freeing up in Goochland’s courthouse area, Traficanti didn’t hesitate. She will be taking over a 1,300-square-foot former boutique storefront in a small strip that includes Italian restaurant Bella Sicilia and insurance agency Everett Insurance.
Traficanti is currently working with an interior designer to turn the space into a cozy coffeehouse, with wood, floral and nature accents. She said “rustic, bohemian charm” is the look she’s trying to go for as she works on the interior.
She plans to keep much of her current menu while adding smoothies and blended coffee drink options. The menu will include locally made baked goods, pre-made salads and yogurt parfaits.
The new shop is expected to be open 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Traficanti said that she hopes to expand those hours and add Saturdays as she grows her staff.
She hopes to have a staff of around five employees to start.
And Traficanti added that while she won’t be working the mobile coffee bar on a daily basis anymore, she plans to continue using it for some events and festivals throughout the fall and winter, and will hold onto it after that to see what she can do with it.
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