Business feature: Coffee houses open shop

PORTALES — Two new coffee houses are open for business in Portales on Chicago Avenue.

Tabitha Nixon, co-owner of Nixon Construction, said when she and her husband, Bruce, decided to move their construction business from New Mexico 467 into town, they bought an extra building to go with it.

“We were looking for a business to start out of it,” she said. “We also wanted to start a business that our kids could work in and help with, so we just decided on a drive through for drinks and donuts.”

Sip and Savor, the Nixon family's drive-through coffee house, serves specialty coffees, tea, and boba drinks and miniature donuts. The business opened on Thursday and began by just advertising on social media as a means of creating a soft opening, Nixon said. But a soft opening turned into a grand slam with drive-through traffic being heavy in the coffee shop's first week.

“We're very excited. We've had a much better turnout than what we expected for our first week, and we've gotten really great customer feedback — positive feedback on the coffees and teas. The people of Portales are very supportive of the new business,” she said.

A few blocks north on Chicago Avenue can be found the Milkshed, the coffee shop of another family of entrepreneurs.

But the Milkshed is more than just a coffee shop.

“My father-in-law bought the property over two years ago, and we knew we wanted to get our dairy products direct to consumers, but it was just the how,” co-owner Traci van der Ploeg said.

The van der Ploeg family is known for its ownership of the Mid Frisian Dairy, along with owning a yogurt facility in Clovis and a feed yard on Stateline Road. They were recently awarded the National Outstanding Young Farmers Award.

Van der Ploeg said her family began to plan for how they could offer their products directly to consumers as well as the products of other New Mexico producers, while also putting to use her background in marketing and her passion for New Mexico agriculture.

Thus, The Milkshed was born, opening for business on March 6.

Along with making specialty coffee with milk from the family's dairy, The Milkshed also sells products from their dairy and their own meat, as well as eggs, meat, and honey from other local producers. Van der Ploeg said all of the shop's products come from New Mexico producers with the exception of a few Dutch items, which the shop carries to pay homage to the family's Netherland origins. She said their coffee comes from Los Lunas. The business also carries hand-crafted items made by locals and other non-food items created in New Mexico, such as hand salves and candles.

“I really have to give a shout out to my staff,” van der Ploeg said. “We all came in without much background in the retail coffee side, and they all jumped in with both feet. They have been just as excited as us, and they enjoy the unknown, and they have been champions through the ups and downs of a new business.”

Van der Ploeg said her family has hopes of eventually expanding the space and carrying even more items from New Mexico producers.

“Our goal is to sell local, fresh products that are reasonably priced and offer the community of Portales items that they won't get elsewhere. Pre-COVID, our plan was to have a landing place for university students and community members alike to come and spend time and feel at home,” she said. “It's been really good. We've gotten a lot of feedback from the community, saying they are so grateful for us bringing this into Portales. The support has been overwhelming.”