BLANCO BREW

COFFEE and so much more... Blanco Brew

By BONNIE EISSLER

On March 15, 2020, Blanco Brew celebrated their one year anniversary and the very next day Texas shut down as concerns mounted due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In a year that has been devastating to many small business owners, Rachel Emry, owner of the coffee shop since 2019, says “we’ve actually done very well.”

The unexpected crisis, that lingered on longer than anyone expected, motivated Rachel to adapt to the various changes and restrictions. She says, “I was determined to make myself essential as quickly as possible.” For six weeks, Blanco Brew operated as a grocery store, selling staples such as sugar, flour, butter, and eggs. “We even sold toilet paper and cleaning products,” Rachel says, essential items that were initially in short supply and rationed, as customers cleared the shelves at the major grocery stores in the area.

Rachel and the highly efficient staff at Blanco Brew found other ways to get their delicious pastries and beverages to customers, including curbside pickup and delivery service. They bought more patio furniture and doubled their outside seating area, and expanded the lunch menu last summer to meet that growing demand.

Rachel and her husband, Justice Quintana, moved to Wimberley in 2012, although they were already well acquainted with the many charms of the quaint little village on the Blanco long before they moved here. Justice had been visiting Wimberley since he was a kid and had always told Rachel that it reminded him of his home town of Ruidoso, a mountain resort village in New Mexico, with its small town friendliness, art galleries, cafes and shops. See BLANCO BREW, Page 16

Rachel Emery

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DINING

More than just a restaurant.

We are your destination for Fun, Great Texas Comfort Food, Award-Winning Margaritas & Friendly Service.

Live Music

Award-Winning Margaritas Great Texas Comfort Food Delicious Wood-Fired Pizza

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Blanco Brew serves up organic coffee from all over the world and a large assortment of cinnamon rolls and pastries, all made fresh daily in their bakery. Rachel graduated from the Texas Culinary Academy in 2003 and later worked as a personal chef for a family in Wimberley. She provides her customers with the consistently good quality they want, and has learned that “customers don’t mind paying a little more for good quality.”

“I’ve always loved to cook,” Rachel says, “my mother was a fabulous baker and I had my hands in dough from when I was a toddler.” There are lots of tasty muffins, cookies and pastries on the menu, but some of the favorites that Rachel mentions are the meat stuffed croissants, jalapeño sausage, maple bacon cinnamon roll, and the cheese danish.

“The recipe for the popular cheese danish is the same one I’ve used for 17 years, it’s a Julia Child recipe,” Rachel says.

Rachel credits the staff as one reason for the coffee shop’s success, saying that you can’t run the show without a good staff. The friendliness of the Blanco Brew staff has been commented on by many customers, with one person saying that “even with their masks on, you can tell they are smiling.”

Justice also helps out. “He proofs the dough for the cinnamon rolls and he washes dishes sometimes,” she says, adding that he has the health club (Just Results) and she has the coffee shop, but that they both help each other to keep their businesses running smoothly.

Blanco Brew also sponsors Wimberley Coffee & Cars, a local get together for car enthusiasts of all types on the first Sunday of every month from 8 am to 11 am, with free mimosas and live music from guitarist and singer Danny Ramsay. Photos courtesy BLanco Brew.

FYI • Blanco Brew is located at 14200 Ranch Road 12 in Wimberley. Hours are Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm (serving lunch 11 am to 2 pm) and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. You can call in orders at 512-842-3400.

For more information, visit the website at blancobrew.com and like Blanco Brew on Facebook for information on special events and offerings.

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