Senior Julia Boel had a dream to open her own coffee shop, and with determination and community, Julia’s Coffee Co. was born.

Boel, hailing from New Jersey, has been in the coffee business for as long as she can remember.

“It’s very different. It’s not like being a server or being a bartender, because while you’re making the drinks, it’s a slower pace, so you can really stop, talking to the customers, hear people’s stories. And I knew that I always wanted to open my own coffee shop. It was just a matter of when,” Boel said.

After deciding to start her coffee business, she landed on a trailer, perfect for on-the-go events and easy access for customers.

“After about two days of being open, I could have never anticipated how busy we got so quickly. So then my twin sister, (Sydney Boel), actually had an internship, and I asked her if she would leave her internship and come work for me. So she came and she worked for me for the summer, and it was the two of us,” Julia Boel said.

This trailer, sporting a pastel pink facade and iconic logo, was not made overnight. It was a collaborative effort between Julia Boel, her family and her community.

“This was something that I could have never done on my own in, like, two and a half months,” Julia Boel said. “Yeah, and seeing the way so many people were so happy and so willing to drop so much that they had going on in their personal life to get the trailer open in time for the summer at the Jersey Shore, which was just so touching.”

That summer in New Jersey was not without its obstacles, as there were many rules that Julia Boel had to follow.

“In nine out of 10 cities in New Jersey, you’re not allowed to have any mobile food units. It was really hard to find a location. I called over 200 businesses, and I got two yeses, and the Marina was the only one that said ‘yes’ and the town would allow it. So that was definitely our first obstacle, trying to find a location,” Julia Boel said.

After a successful summer in New Jersey, Julia Boel decided to bring Julia’s Coffee Co. to Knoxville.

Julia Boel drove the trailer all the way down to Knoxville where it sits outside of Hess Hall three days a week, serving up coffee and matcha to UT students.

The signature rounded cups, logos and unique flavors make this not your average coffee trailer.

“We have a Dubai chocolate latte, our Teddy Graham latte, which is the most popular latte. We have a blueberry muffin latte. We have just really fun flavors that you’re not going to be able to find at any other coffee shops,” Julia Boel said.

Julia Boel handled the permits and business operations while working with her twin sister to expand marketing efforts and generate interest among UT students.

“(Sydney Boel) was harping on how important it was to have a really cute aesthetic. She did a lot of our graphic designs with the logo on the side of the trailer, all of our stickers on the cups. We print them out ourselves. Even just looking at the order of how we pour each latte, making it look more cohesive, and that was all my sister really harping on our aesthetic. I think that that’s done very well for us, especially being in a college town,” Julia Boel said.

That aesthetic has put them on the map, and it is not uncommon to see a line of eagerly uncaffeinated students wanting to get their morning fix from Julia’s Coffee Co.

“I’ve only tried it once, and I got the Teddy Graham latte, and it was good. It is a little bit expensive, but I did enjoy my coffee, and I love that it’s a small woman-owned business,” freshman Annelise Buecker said.

As Julia Boel looks towards graduation and her future, Julia’s Coffee Co will not be left behind.

“We were looking into going through a brick and mortar in New Jersey, and that was kind of like our goal. Then we kind of took a step back and thought about how well the trailer is really doing. So right now, we’re looking into getting a second trailer, and then, if in the next few months a good location does come up, we’re definitely going to jump into that and open a shop in New Jersey,” Julia Boel said.

This preparation for a full-time business has been facilitated and cultivated by the professors and programs at UT — Julia Boel has used various resources to help grow her business.

“UT has honestly prepared me in so many ways. … I’ve worked very closely with the Anderson Center, which is a center for entrepreneurs at the University of Tennessee, and they’ve been so helpful, especially in the conversation about how I was talking about if I’m not sure if I want to go into another trailer or go into a brick and mortar. The Anderson Center has been really great about mapping (that) out for me,” Julia Boel said.

At the end of the day, Julia’s Coffee Co. is more than just a coffee trailer with amazing drinks — it’s a community.

“I will say Julia’s Coffee Co. means the absolute world to me. I’ve wanted to have my own coffee shop since I was in, like, the sixth grade, and just to be able to say that I was able to open my own coffee shop, it really is just so awesome. I’m so, so grateful, and I feel so blessed for it every day,” Julia Boel said. “My grandfather always said to me that ‘if you love what you do for work, you never work a day in your life.’ And I truly feel that way. I never feel like I’m waking up and I have to go to work all day today, like, I get so excited to work. So it really does. It means everything to me, and I can’t wait to see how far it goes.”