Austin doesn’t lack in quality coffee choices. But what does that word – quality – even mean?
Is it “just about flavor,” as Sightseer Coffee co-owner Sara Gibson muses? Or could “quality also have something to do with the fairness and equity and goodness of a brand or product?”
Since starting Sightseer Coffee Roasters in 2022, Gibson and co-founder Kimberly Zash have aimed for an all-encompassing version of quality with their wholesale roasts, promoting gender equity in the coffee industry by sourcing beans exclusively from women producers.
With the June 29 grand opening of their first coffee bar, located alongside Sugar Mama's Bakeshop (1905 S. 1st St.), they’ll now get to double down on flavor. Coffee drinkers can celebrate with a host of discounts, free Sugar Mama treats and Sightseer coffee cocktails, a DJ set, and, capping off Pride Month, a raffle benefiting the LGBTQ+ nonprofit Out Youth.
The storefront means more control over their end products – getting to “dial in our espresso shots exactly the way we want them dialed in,” says Gibson, “and having a place to showcase, frankly, all the weird sh*t I do at my house.”
That translates to drinks like Teaches of Peaches, a summery-sounding cold brew shaken with peach nectar and mint syrup, and crowned with Tajin and a chili lime peach ring.
Teaches of PeachesPhoto courtesy of Sightseer Coffee
And finally, it means getting to talk with interested customers about where Sightseer coffee comes from – women coffee producers around the world – and why that’s important.
Women make up to 70 percent of the manual labor force in coffee production, according to an International Coffee Organization report. But when it comes to control over decision-making or ownership, that percentage plummets.
Sightseer hopes to leverage its purchasing power to promote women-controlled coffee businesses worldwide. And now that Sightseer boasts ten different coffee roasts, the company’s purchasing power has grown swiftly, from about 30 pounds a week to 800 pounds a week, Gibson estimates.
By uplifting women worldwide, Sightseer also aims to advance other values. “It pulls all the levers of sustainability because women are better at investing in environmental initiatives,” Gibson notes. “Women are better at investing in community initiatives, social initiatives. They really are about setting everything up for the long term.”
Of course, such gender disparities aren’t restricted to coffee-producing countries. While many U.S. coffee storefronts might present a diverse picture, behind the scenes, that’s not always the case.
“You walk in and you’re like, ‘look at all the quirky, vibrant weirdos that work here,’” says Gibson. “I think a lot of us love coffee shops because they feel like that, and it feels welcoming and at home. And then you go and meet the owners, and it’s just like, some white guys with a beard.”
A self-described “proudly feminist,” women- and queer-owned enterprise, Sightseer grew out of Gibson and Zash’s shared values. The two met while working at Austin’s Greater Goods Coffee, and between them, they’ve both held “pretty much every job in the coffee world, including head roaster, green buyer, QC specialist, trainer, and barista,” according to a press release announcing their opening.
Sightseer’s new storefront held a soft opening in late May, and is already open for business Tuesdays through Fridays from 7 am to 2 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 3 pm.
