In January 2024, radiology technician Cassidy Mutchler set a resolution: she wanted to grow her relationship with God.
In pursuit of that goal, the Lennox resident started to listen to preacher Joyce Meyer’s podcast, “Enjoying Everyday Life,” while driving to work at Sanford in Sioux Falls. Mutchler said that on a brisk day in February, Meyer’s podcast shared a message about the importance of timing.
“If God puts something on your heart, he’s not going to let up until you follow through with that,” Mutchler said. “You’re just going to think about it all the time.”
For Mutchler, that thought was of starting a coffee shop, an idea she had toyed with for the past three years.
This summer, Mutchler fulfilled that dream by opening Saddle Up Espresso, a mobile coffee trailer parked in the Sunshine Foods’ parking lot. The coffee trailer officially opened on June 24 and serves espresso drinks, Italian sodas, bakery items and more to the Lennox community.
Mutchler first toyed with the idea of a coffee trailer in 2021 when she worked nights on the stroke team at Avera. Most evenings, she said she and her coworkers would joke about how great it would be to have a coffee trailer pull up right outside of the hospital before their shifts started.
When Mutchler moved to Lennox in 2023, the need for a coffee spot arose once again. Rather than waiting to get her caffeine until she arrived in Sioux Falls every morning, Mutchler thought it would be nice to pick up her coffee in Lennox and sip it on her way to work. As a result, Mutchler said placing Saddle Up Espresso near the interstate was ideal.
“Lennox is only going to get bigger, and I wanted to be on the route of everybody on their way to work,” Mutchler said. “Because that’s really why I started here and brought it here because that’s what I wanted when I was on my way.”
Saddle Up Espresso combines several of Mutchler’s passions, including her love for horses and coffee. Mutchler said she has owned horses and rodeoed her whole life, and she now runs boarding stables at her house in the afternoons.
Mutchler said she also hopes her new business venture can serve her faith, so Saddle Up Espresso cups will display “inspirational Bible verses” to encourage customers to start their day “with the word.”
Additionally, customers will get to start their day with a dose of Sturgis Coffee Co. espresso or Dark Canyon Coffee Co. cold brew grounds. The menu includes standard coffee drinks, such as mochas, lattes and americanos, in addition to flavored specialty drinks, such as the Cowboy Up Frappuccino and Chocolate Truffle.
Mutchler said she most enjoys making frappuccinos but opts for the Oatmeal Creme Pie specialty drink for herself.
Lennox local Alaina Meyer purchased a drink on Saddle Up Espresso’s opening day and said she enjoyed her experience. While the espresso machine was not yet in the trailer, Meyer said the turtle cold brew was “amazing.”
“I like my warm coffee, and so I was a little nervous just to try something new because every one that I have tried, I don’t care for. But [Saddle Up Espresso’s cold brew] was not bitter. It was so, so good,” Meyer said.
Meyer said she first heard about Saddle Up Espresso through Facebook.
“I saw it was actually her doing it, and I was like, ‘Oh, good for her,’” Meyer said. “So I went up there on her first opening day, and I was so happy for her that she was able to find a spot and that Sunshine allowed her to find a spot that’s so accessible for people leaving to go to work.”
Although she’s only a few weeks into owning and operating the coffee trailer, Mutchler said she has met many new people and already has a set of regulars.
“I’m just excited to watch my regulars grow in their lives and meet new people and hear their stories,” Mutchler said. “There’s a lot of people that I don’t know if I ever would have sat down and had a conversation with before, and they’re actually really cool.”
Currently, Mutchler is the only barista in the trailer, but she said she hopes to hire employees in the future after she gets an idea of the flow of traffic and operating a business on her own.
“My biggest thing right now is to give the people some stability with the coffee shop,” Mutchler said.
So on Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., customers can find Saddle Up Espresso nestled in the Sunshine Foods parking lot.
As Mutchler reflects on a month in operation, she said she is grateful for the people who have helped her along the way.
“Every ounce of effort that I put into this I felt was matched by a stranger willing to help me or family support or friends that have owned coffee shops in the past, willing to share their company secrets with me,” Mutchler said. “It was honestly, truly amazing.
And many members of the Lennox community are grateful for the work that went into establishing the new coffee spot in town.
“With the new developments in town and all the new families coming into town, and more so of a younger generation, this was kind of a breath of fresh air that we needed,” Meyer said.