A popular local coffee shop is moving in at a plant store on South Lamar Boulevard. Desnudo Coffee has opened a brand-new trailer — its third in total — and parked it outside of Frond Plant Shop at 1904 S. Lamar Blvd., with a soft opening period starting Wednesday, August 27. A public party on Saturday, August 30, will mark the full official opening of the new location.
Frond and Desnudo have both had big changes in the past couple of years. Frond moved into the South Lamar space in August of 2023 (a move that took a few months to complete), and has since built the space up from a liminal garage to a cozy oasis. Desnudo opened its second trailer almost exactly a year ago, and was lauded in multiple official capacities in 2024, including winning the Best Coffee Shop title at the CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards.
The new trailer will mostly operate as a separate entity from the plant shop, but there will be tables inside so that customers can enjoy their drinks and the plants simultaneously. This is also the first of Desnudo's locations to have shade and an indoor space.
New seating makes the shop a place to hang out.Photo courtesy of Desnudo Coffee and Frond Plant Shop
Saturday's opening party will be held with additional community partners, some of whom will be giving out free snacks.
Taco trailer La Santa Barbacha will stop by, as well as ice cream shop Bésame. Flash tattoos (including some really fun abstract latte swirls) will also be on offer from Cowpokes and Church. A local graphic designer will also launch her new custom sticker vending machine business called Stick Around, so guests should be on the lookout for free stickers to put on their coffee cups and garden pots.
Desnudo owner Juan Trujillo says it was the co-founder of Siete Foods, Miguel Garza, whose idea it was to start a partnership between the two business. Trujillo calls Frond owner Sara Garza "Sarita" and speaks of the "cute" shop affectionately.
"We decided to come and introduce ourselves and talk to her about it, and she was so nice," says Trujillo. "She was open to the idea, so we were so happy about it. It was honestly really simple."
The team is ready to go.Photo courtesy of Desnudo Coffee and Frond Plant Shop
Partnership is at the heart of Desnudo, which works directly with coffee farmers to source ingredients. The goals according to the shop's website are fair prices, sustainability, and even educating producers and growers. Trujillo and his brother Sergio, Desnudo's co-owners, are from Colombia, and maintain that connection in their work.
On the plant side, Garza says she looks forward to a "super fun partnership" and "patio vibes outside."
Trujillo is excited about getting to know South Austin better.
"The neighborhood here looks so cute," he says. "I live on the northern side of the city, so it's kind of all new for me, but I feel like there is a lot here to build community."
People can see what the store offers from the street.Photo courtesy of Desnudo Coffee and Frond Plant Shop
The opening party will take place from 9 am to 1 pm on August 30. In general, Fond Plant Shop is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm, and Desnudo Coffee is open Thursdays through Sundays from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Both business owners say they may consider opening earlier or staying open later to better match each other's hours.
