June 19, 2024

Will Gautney wasn’t a coffee drinker until he married his wife.

Danielle Gautney enjoyed coffee and “roped me in,” Gautney said. “I’ve turned into a coffee snob.”

They’ve lived in different places across the country and have always tried to find good coffee spots, he said. Now living in Baltic, they decided to open their own coffee shop, starting small with a truck and growing from there.

The Gautneys started Liberty Coffee & Espresso at the beginning of the year and were open Tuesday through Saturday until they started summer hours recently. The couple also owns Superior Striping, which paints the lines for parking spots. That work typically is done at night when parking lots are empty, so the two businesses dovetail well.

Until school is back is session, the former passenger bus can be found on Saturdays parked on Lovely Street across from the Baltic Volunteer Fire Department. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Customers can drive up to the window for service. “It’s pretty much a drive-thru,” Gautney said.

The coffee and espresso drinks can be served hot, iced or frozen, and there are hot and iced teas. The coffee beans come from Parable Coffee Co. in Tea. “They’ve got good stuff,” Gautney said.

The Gautneys also serve food, and “everything we make is from scratch on the bus,” except for the bagels. Earlier this year, that included baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, cake or pie of the day, Danishes and muffins.

For summer, the food menu is limited to breakfast burritos, with two options. Both include eggs, cheese, sausage, bacon and hash browns and one has added bell pepper and onion. They come with salsa and sour cream on the side.

Liberty Coffee & Espresso is available for public and private events in the area, so if the truck is going to be somewhere else, updates will be posted on Facebook. 

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