Ten Questions - Business Feature from the Daily Republic - December 22, 2007
1. How did you manage to
have a business in the Suisun
City train station?
I owned a coffee shop on
Sunset a few years back,
which I closed after a Starbucks
opened nearby. The
Suisun City Redevelopment
Agency knew about me, and
they asked me to work here
and lease the space from
them.
2. Can you really compete
against Starbucks?
With El Capitan Coffee
Co. we take a different approach
to selling coffee. It’s
coffee with a conscience; we
are part of a co-op that buys
the coffee from the growers
at fair trade prices so that
they can make a living.
3. Is there enough commuter
traffic here to sustain
a business?
The business is steady, I
get about 50 customers per
day. There are 32 trains that
stop here during the week, 16
in each direction. While we
are kind of tucked away, we
still get regulars that come in
before they get on the train.
4. Have you thought about
expanding the business?
The Redevelopment
Agency wants to turn this
waiting area into a sit down
coffee shop with a kitchen
and tables and have me run
it. It’s a good idea and a great
location. I would eventually
want to add a gift shop, but
that’s more down the road.
5. What challenges have
you faced at this location?
Mainly that unless you use
the train most people never
stop in here. But in the summer
I might have a hot dog
eating contest.
6. Do you commute to
work?
I used to when I lived in
Vacaville . . . but I have to be
up too early, so I moved to
Suisun City. Now I can bike
or walk to work, except when
it’s cold, then I drive.
7. As a one-man operation,
how do you handle the rush
of commuters?
I pretty much know what
the regulars like, so as soon
as I see them coming through
the door I get their order
ready. And making them pay
ahead of time helps, too. This
way I’m not left with a bunch
of unpaid orders when the
train shows up.
8. Any funny train-chasing
stories?
There are people who
chase after the train on their
bikes thinking that it’s going
to stop. But I’ve been here
long enough to know that
once the brakes are off, there
is no way the doors are opening
again. It’s best that people
get here 10 minutes before
the train arrives. Have
some coffee and relax.
9. Are people still fascinated
by trains for leisure
travel?
Traveling by train has a
certain nostalgia. At one
point it was the most popular
form of transportation that
connected you to all points in
the country. It still does, and
you get to see a lot of the
scenery on the way to your
destination.
10. Finish this sentence:
By working with the Fair
Trade Coffee Co. . .
I’m able
to make a difference in the
life of the farmers. And they
belong to an organization
that teaches them financial
literacy and responsibility.
Reach Ines Bebea at 427-6934 or at
. Photo credit: Mike McCoy/Daily Republic
