The philosophy behind the Pour Box Mobile Coffee Bar is simple: “You can’t pour from an empty cup, take care of yourself.”

The Pour Box owner, Desiree Crawford opened her mobile coffee bar at the Dakota East Side Ice House earlier this summer with the support of her family and friends. The mobile coffee bar is a family business and she enjoys filling coffee cups with her daughters in the community.

Crawford never drank coffee before recently and is enjoying learning about the different ways to prepare coffee drinks . Daughter Bianca is passionate about making specialty lattes like lavender honey, dirty chai, mocha and other tasty seasonal beverages you will find on the menu.

“We do so much for each other, we have to stay grounded,” said the Afro-Latina owner who explained that the Pour Box is a project that has been years in the making. Throughout her long career in corporate America, she had always envisioned opening a local coffee bar business. She learned that relationships are formed in the break room and not in the boardroom and began to appreciate that so many important conversations happen over a cup of coffee.

Desiree’s partner and local handyman, Bruce Hill, owner of Hill Construction and Associates, was happy to build her a custom coffee trailer after years of her dreaming up the concept for the business. The pair have coffee together every morning before they leave for the day and Bruce joins Desiree every week to hitch up the coffee trailer and transport it to and from the patio location.

The mobile coffee bar is set up facing Dakota street on the patio and is also accessible from the adjacent south Hackberry street that welcomes morning foot traffic like a grandma who walks her nieto to the nearby elementary school and new neighbors who used to walk to convenience stores for coffee before they found The Pour Box.

Desiree said that the neighborhood really needed a community coffee spot that was accessible to the nearby neighborhoods like Denver Heights, Highland Park and Highland Hills. She feels like this area is a good area to grow with and insists that the coffee trailer is not work for her and instead energizes her passion for coffee and community.

“I raised my kids and a bunch of other people’s kids,” said Desiree, who grew up on the south east side of San Antonio and uplifted many young women in the area through coaching the women’s basketball team at Highlands high school for many years.

She likes to show love and often gives out complimentary coffee to busy patrons and complimentary hot chocolate to kids who accompany their parents. Since launching earlier this summer, Desiree has enjoyed the regulars and can remember their custom orders. Family members and many Highlands Alumni are treating themselves to a new grounding morning ritual at the Pour Box.
“We need encouragement and support from our community,” said Desiree. The owners of The Dakota East Side Ice House introduced the idea for The Pour Box to set up in the large patio space. They have been a reliable source of support and insight for the new operation and remind her to be patient with the new business.

The mobile coffee bar owner is poised to support private events and local produce markets outside of the east side corner patio in the future. The family said they are happy to be a part of the growing and diverse homegrown San Antonio Coffee community that offers so many coffee selections.

You can visit the Pour Box and get some full bodied, locally sourced coffee and a fresh outside patio in the heart of the south east side at The Dakota East Side Ice House every Wednesday through Saturday from 7am to noon.

More Information at https://www.instagram.com/thepourbox.sa/