What started as a hobby for Juliana and Trevor Davis has grown into Longshot Coffee, a Waco coffee shop where the couple has turned years of roasting coffee at home into a business of its own.
The couple began roasting coffee together in 2022 while living in Austin. At first, it was something they did for fun while they were dating.
“We would make YouTube videos,” Juliana said. “And at the time we were living with his mom and she would taste test all the coffee with us, even when it was super bad.”
Trevor’s mom, Joy, continued to be part of the couple’s coffee journey. When they first started roasting, she allowed them to use part of her garage for their equipment.
Trevor also remembers making coffee for his parents when he was about 4 years old.
“I would wake up early like five in the morning and literally brew her and my dad coffee in the morning,” Trevor said.
Joy died of breast cancer in 2024 at 59 years old, but her influence can still be seen throughout Longshot.
The shop’s Joy blend, which is used for espresso, is named after her. The blend combines 70% Brazil coffee with 30% Ethiopian coffee, two types of coffee Joy enjoyed.
When Trevor gave her an Ethiopian coffee after she had mostly been a dark coffee drinker, she told him it was the best coffee she had ever had.
“She’s just been like my full inspiration in the coffee,” Trevor said.
Joy’s influence is also seen in the shop’s design, which was inspired by her California background and her love of horses and the beach.
The couple was able to acquire the 2709 Robinson Dr building using an inheritance from Joy. Trevor and his dad handled much of the renovation, while Juliana and her dad worked on the decor.
“So it’s really been like a big group project. So very family oriented,” Juliana said.
The couple also wanted to create a coffee shop where specialty coffee felt more approachable. Juliana mentioned how specialty coffee has developed a reputation for being expensive and pretentious.
“Our biggest goal really was just to share our coffee and our love for coffee,” Juliana said.
The couple roasts its own coffee, makes its syrups in-house and measures each drink to the exact gram. Juliana said their air roasters and Trevor’s experience with roasting are also part of what makes Longshot different.
“I will say specifically in Waco, it would be our roasters and specifically Trevor, who is roasting the coffee,” Juliana said.
She said they have spent years working their way through different levels of roasting and testing the drinks they serve.
“I feel like we have taken our time and done our homework to make sure that whatever product people leave with is as best as it can be,” Juliana said.
Longshot officially opened Sept. 4, and the response from the Waco community was much greater than the couple expected.
The Davises thought it could take six months to a year to reach the amount of business they were hoping for. Instead, they reached that point on their second day.
“As busy as you see it right now, we thought maybe we could build up to that in maybe like six months or a year. And we got that on day two,” Juliana said.
The shop already has customers who come in every day, while new customers continue to visit for the first time.
“It’s so awesome that we already have returning customers,” Juliana said.
Juliana grew up in Waco, and moving back allowed her to be closer to her family. Trevor’s dad has also moved from Las Vegas to Waco.
“I couldn’t imagine any other place to do this, especially because we’re now closer to Jules’ family,” Trevor said.
For the Davises, Longshot has become a business built with the help of their families while also becoming part of the Waco community.
“It couldn’t have happened without them,” Trevor said. “So we have to honor them and do them proud.”