From cap and gown to Sip & Sol, a Sicamous teen graduated into an entrepreneur with the opening of her new coffee truck.
Emma-Lee Braun, 17, graduated from Salmon Arm Secondary's Sullivan campus in June, and by August long weekend, had percolated into a bona fide business owner with Sip & Sol Caf茅 at Bruhn Crossing.
The inspiration for starting the business came from recent travels to Italy and Spain, where she explored local caf茅s and saw a lot of "cool ideas" and, after five years working at another coffee shop, decided it was time to open her own.
"That鈥檚 why the name is Sip & Sol, because sol is Spanish for sun. So either coffee鈥檚 good for the 鈥榮ol鈥�, or sip and sunshine kind of thing. So it鈥檚 like a happy vibe to it,鈥� Braun said. 鈥淎nd I just think travelling鈥檚 such a good thing because you get to learn so much about people. And that鈥檚 why I also enjoy working at a cafe is because you get to talk to people and hear their story almost.
"I love talking to people.鈥�
While international travel inspired the caf茅, the ingredients are all local, with organic Frog Friendly Coffee from Enderby, milk from D Dutchmen Dairy (with oat and almond options as well) and SIMPs Syrups from 91大黄鸭, with Can't Resist Cookies made in Sicamous also sold there. She offers a full menu of coffees, teas and lemonades, and has a secret weapon of affogato coffee.
Through her travels, Braun encountered the traditional Italian treat, which is ice cream (D Dutch), topped with espresso that has proved to be very popular as it 鈥済ives a little bit of sweet with a little bit of bitter... it鈥檚 a good mix.鈥�
The coffee truck itself is also handmade locally by Braun and her dad, who built it together on a flatbed trailer, with some of his friends in the trades doing the electrical and plumbing but the rest was just 鈥渕e and my dad slaving away.鈥�
After her mid-summer opening, Braun hopes to operate throughout the winter at markets, events, and arenas and will be posting her locations on the cafe鈥檚 page so people know where they can get caffeinated. While she wants to do different fairs and events next summer, she also plans to keep the Bruhn Crossing as a home base, where the neighbours love her.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great addition,鈥� Dawn Backs, owner of neighbouring food truck Snacktastic, said of the cafe. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very happy Emma鈥檚 here.鈥�
Currently, Braun is the only one working Sip & Sol, but still manages to have it open Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information on her winter hours and different locations can be found on her Instagram page at .
