A new coffee cart is taking shape in Greenville, and it comes with a mocha unlike anything else on the local menu. Jorge Guerra, the founder behind Sondr Coffee Club, already has his cart in hand and is aiming to turn the mobile setup into a full shop within the next year.
Guerra is from Michoacán but grew up mostly in Greenville, according to Greenville Journal. That background shapes the whole concept: Guerra has said that he felt a disconnect from the Latino and Mexican communities he called home, which pushed him toward building something of his own. “I have the power to just create my own community and my own space,” he said, per the outlet's report.
The plan, as outlined in that same report, is to start small. Sondr Coffee Club will launch as a coffee cart before Guerra potentially expands into a brick-and-mortar shop, and he's already implementing a push rinser as part of getting the cart ready to operate.
A Menu Rooted in Michoacán
Guerra didn't rush the menu. He spent about a month taste-testing his products, and during that stretch he tried every coffee shop in Greenville to sharpen his own approach, the outlet reports. The result will blend the familiar with the personal: classic coffee drinks will sit alongside a mocha built around Mexican-style hot chocolate.
That mocha is meant to stand apart from a typical sugary version. Per the same account, it's designed to be less sweet but more complex and tasty, a direct nod to Guerra's culture rather than a gimmick. He hopes Sondr Coffee Club becomes a place of cultural expression as much as a place to grab a drink.
Family Runs the Marketing and the Menu
Guerra isn't building this alone. Christian Calderon, who is also from Michoacán, leads the marketing for Sondr Coffee Club and will also head up the cart's light pastry element. Calderon recently debuted a banana bread on his TikTok channel, giving followers an early taste of what's coming.
Guerra has been documenting the build-out on social media, including a post about Sondr Coffee Club dated July 22. Sondr Coffee Club can be found on TikTok and Instagram under the handle @sondrcoffeeclub.
What Still Has to Happen
Getting from a cart in someone's possession to a working food business in South Carolina involves more than good espresso. South Carolina requires food operators to apply for a food permit. The City of Greenville, meanwhile, requires all businesses operating within city limits to hold a business license, per the City of Greenville, and the city maintains separate rules specifically for food trucks and trailers through its food-truck permitting page.
Guerra has framed the year ahead in personal terms. “One year from now, I want to own my coffee shop. Today is day 1,” he said, according to Greenville Journal's report on the project. For now, Sondr Coffee Club remains in development, with drink recipes, marketing, and state health requirements all part of the work Guerra is putting in before the cart makes its public debut.
