The 1848 Coffee trailer in New Berlin that opened in May will be moving into the building it sits in front of in November
NEW BERLIN - Joshua Truckenbrod had been working in heating and air conditioning for almost 20 years when he had an accident.
While moving a box at work, three disks in his back herniated. "It was one of those freak things," he said. He ended up having three surgeries, and is now limited to how much he can lift and how long he can stand.
"I needed to change directions with my career, with my life," he said.
Truckenbrod and his wife, Jessica, are big fans of local coffee, and had been hoping a shop would open up in New Berlin since they moved there about 10 years ago to raise their family.
"We waited for something to come and nothing came," he said. So, they decided now would be the time to give it a try themselves.
"Every morning, before I went to work, my first cup of coffee was the best part of my day," Joshua Truckenbrod said. "I wanted to give people that every morning as well, and start off their day right."
In May 2018, Truckenbrod opened 1848 Coffee, a coffee trailer that's parked in the parking lot on the corner of W. National Avenue and W. Coffee Road. But, come November, the business will move into the building it sits in front of.
The brew
Truckenbrod hopped into his car and drove to roasters across Wisconsin until he found the one, Backroads Coffee in Hayward.
The trailer serves a Coffee Street House Blend, which is the most popular; a National Avenue Dark Roast; and a seasonal coffee that changes monthly.
"My coffee doesn't have the bitterness or acidity of other coffee places," he said. "I believe it's from the freshness of how close my coffee is from being roasted to coming to me. I think it really comes through in the flavor."
He calls Backroads every Monday to place his weekly order. They roast the beans that morning and he receives them the following afternoon.
Besides the trailer's signature blends, Truckenbrod makes specialty drinks like the barbajada, which is half brewed coffee and half hot chocolate that's topped with whipped cream. It costs $3.15 for 12 ounces, $3.55 for 16 ounces and $3.95 for 20 ounces.
Since Truckenbrod had no prior experience in the coffee industry, he said he turned his kitchen into a laboratory to test recipes.
Joshua and Jessica would have their friends try out their concoctions to see what tasted good and what didn't. "It was fun, but there were some sleepless nights from all of the caffeine that went through us," said Joshua Truckenbrod.
Where do you find a coffee trailer?
When Truckenbrod approached Caged Crow Fabrication in St. Germain to manufacture the coffee trailer about two years ago, they had a year-long waiting list, he said.
"They ask you what you like, what your vision is, what you need in it, and that's it," he said. "It's almost like a TV show."
His vision was old, Wisconsin and industrial. "I didn't know what it was going to look like until the day I drove to pick it up," he said.
They made it blue and used pieces of Wisconsin wood. "I'm still blown away by how great the craftsmanship is," he said. "They literally built it from the ground up."
He wanted to incorporate as much of Wisconsin as possible into his business, he said. The shop was even named after the year the state was founded.
Customer Kate Roots said she stops by the trailer because it's local and different. She's not even a huge coffee-drinker, but as the owner of another local business, Cleveland Pub and Grill, she said she wants to support it.
She's drinking her way through the menu. "I'm trying all of the coffee drinks to find something I'm in love with," she said.
Its new home
When What's in the Bowl? Pet Shop moved out of the building behind the trailer, the building owner asked if Truckenbrod would be interested in moving in.
"I was like no way," he said. He hoped to move into a shop in a year or two, but not four or five weeks after the trailer opened.
"I was just happy to be open and serving New Berlin coffee," he said. After the owner approached him a second time, he decided to go for it. After all, his two signature blends were named after the streets his trailer is parked at.
He said he's aiming to have the shop ready by Nov. 1.
Truckenbrod is working with a local business to have bakery items at the shop. In a couple of years, he said he will look into serving food like cold sandwiches and soups. The trailer currently offers biscottis and granola bars.
What will happen to the trailer?
The trailer can't operate when temperatures go below freezing, so it will be out of commission for winter.
But, it will travel to farmers markets around the area when it warms up again.
The trailer is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. When the shop opens, it will operate seven days a week and have longer hours.
1848 Coffee
ADDRESS: 15136 West National Ave., New Berlin
WEBSITE: facebook.com/1848coffee
Phone: (414) 949-1023
PRICE RANGE: From $.50 for a granola bar to $5.50 for a 20 ounce breve
HOURS: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. When the shop opens, it will operate seven days a week and have longer hours.
