Southwest Austin Dripping Springs Edition | May 2023

DINING FEATURE Mazama Coee Co. New owner of local cafe aims to build community W hen Lori Green began Mazama’s menu includes seasonal and monthly items as well as what Green calls “staple” items. BY ELLE BENT

as a part-time barista at Mazama Coee Co. about 10 years ago, she didn’t expect to be its newest owner by 2022. “It’s more than coee,” Green said. “I love the people and getting to know the community.” In September, Green bought the shop from the original owners, Vicky and Bruce Lewis, who opened Mazama in November 2012 and named it after a town in Washington where the two used to vacation. “I started working here two months after it opened, and there was nothing on the street,” Green said. “It’s been really fun watch- ing the street come to life as other businesses started moving in.” Today, cus- tomers can visit Mazama for coee roasted in-house; baked goods; and syrup avors made in-house. “I came up with the [cinnamon brown sugar] recipe years ago because my son had just started trying coee, and he would go to Starbucks and get their Cinnamon Dulce,” Green said. “So I started doing research and came up with the recipe, and it’s been a big hit.” This is a common practice for the local shop. If able to, Mazama tries new recipes and makes adjustments at customers’ requests, Green said.

These include the shop’s scones, savory croissants, breakfast sand- wiches, homemade pop tarts and housemade breads. “If we ever took those away, [customers] would be really mad at us,” Green said while laughing. “Plus, these are what we sell a lot of.” Mazama participates in commu- nity events, including the Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival in October and Dripping Springs Found- ers Day in April. As the new owner, Green said she is brainstorming new

Lori Green ocially became the owner of Mazama Coee Co. in September.

PHOTOS BY ELLE BENTCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Mazama Coee Co. was named after a town in Washington where founders Vicky and Bruce Lewis used to vacation. The term “mazama” also means “mountain goat”; Ethiopian legend credits goats as discovering the coee plant. WHY IS IT CALLED MAZAMA COFFEE CO.?

ideas to bring to the community. “People always tell me, ‘You’re the heart of Drip- ping Springs. This little coee shop brings all the people together,’” Green said. The coee shop

“PEOPLE ALWAYS TELL ME, ‘YOU’RE THE HEART OF DRIPPING SPRINGS. THIS LITTLE COFFEE SHOP BRINGS ALL THE PEOPLE TOGETHER,’” LORI GREEN, OWNER

has both indoor and outdoor seating enclosed on the property by a fence. Cats roam the property and are taken care of by Mazama employees. As Green moves into making Mazama her own with some rebrand- ing, she wants to continue making Mazama a welcoming atmosphere for fellow residents. “I want our customers to come in here and feel seen and heard,” Green said. “I want people to feel welcome, like they belong here, and it’s comfortable for them.”

Scones, cookies and cream, and seasonal shaped cookies are baked in-house.

Mazama roasts its coee in-house, oering a range of espresso drinks.

Mazama Coee Co. 301 Mercer St., Dripping Springs 512-200-6472 www.mazamacoee.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION • MAY 2023