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STERLING — What started as a humorous suggestion between friends turned into a new business venture for Miles and Sharyl Rogers of Sterling.
Their Roger That Coffee trailer serves a wide range of caffeinated drinks, including drip and cold brew coffee, lattes, frappes, chai tea, refreshers and energy drinks. Some beverages, like Parker’s Lemonade and Georgia Peach, are named after the owners’ children. They also offer a Muffin of the Day.
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“I worked at the Candlelight in Sterling for a little over 13 years, and one of my good friends that works there also owns the Main Squeeze lemonade trailer,” Sharyl said. “I was joking about her doing coffee and she was like, ‘I don’t want to do coffee. You should do coffee.’ I was talking to Miles one night after work, and he was like, ‘We could probably do that.’”
The couple immediately began researching how to start the business. Miles is a plumber with Sauk Valley Plumbing and was comfortable getting started on some of the work needed to convert the trailer they purchased.
“We didn’t think of ourselves as entrepreneurs by any means,” Miles said. “But I thought to myself, ‘I’m a handy guy. I can build this.’”
The pair also had some help from family and other vendors.
“Pam’s Perks of Morrison answered a lot of our questions and gave us tips on vendors they use and things like that,” Miles said. “That gave us a bit of direction because otherwise, all you have is Google.”
After months of research and a $50,000 investment, Roger That Coffee officially opened Saturday, Aug. 17, in the Behrz Bloomz parking lot at 2503 N. Locust St., where the truck regularly sets up.
“Our first day was brutal,” Miles said. “It was the first time we had ever taken an order and we were still trying to figure things out while being completely slammed. Thankfully, everyone was very kind and understanding.”
For now, the couple post the trailer’s schedule on the Roger That Coffee Facebook page but hope to run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday starting in September, with occasional Saturday hours to follow.