Desnudo: The Coffee That Austin Wakes Up For

Brothers Sergio and Juan Trujillo outside of their small but mighty coffee trailer (photo by John Anderson)

A phenomenon happens on any given Saturday or Sunday morning at the food truck park on Webberville. Austinites from all over get out of bed at the crack of dawn to stand in line and await the opening of the Desnudo coffee trailer at 7:30am. By the time Juan and Sergio Trujillo – the two dashing brothers from Colombia who started Desnudo in 2021 – open up shop, you can expect a line of at least 25 people. That number grows as the minutes march forward, creating a curving line of caffeine-expectant humans that soon overtakes the entire lot.

So what's worth the wait and the early wake-up call? Well, the coffee, for starters. Desnudo's signature drink is the brown sugar miso latte, which, when served hot, displays a luscious foam "like a melted marshmallow," as Juan likes to say. The brown sugar is caramelized into a syrup that takes on a deep, sweet, molasses-y flavor. That's then united with savory miso paste to unlock a balanced umami note.

But perhaps the biggest draw on the menu is Desnudo's weekend special, the Boggy Berry Latte, made with lacto-fermented organic blueberries. Sergio explains, "It's very hard to make – the berries take 15 to 25 days to ferment and we're working on it every day." The lacto-fermented berries provide an intense fruity flavor that, when paired with house-made vanilla syrup, creamy oat milk, and espresso, creates a delightfully sweet-yet-tart flavor. Not to mention the visual appeal of purplish-blue berry syrup swirling throughout the bright espresso.

The name of the drink is a tribute to Boggy Creek Farm. Before opening the trailer, the brothers hustled at farmers' markets and gyms – anywhere they could fold out a table and try to convince folks to try their coffee. One of those places was at Boggy Creek Farm, owned by Carol Ann Sayle; she let the brothers sell coffee at the farm, no charge.

Soon after, the brothers connected with Reyna Vazquez, co-owner of Veracruz All Natural, who offered them a spot in the food truck park, where they opened a trailer in April 2022. Word of mouth has been key to Desnudo's success. "Influencers and TikTok trends also started to help, but we have never, and don't plan on ever, paying for advertisement. We believe the product and the experience should speak for itself," says Juan.

This experience that Juan refers to is the secret sauce that keeps customers coming back. The Trujillos pride themselves on fostering community, and they've built a loyal and ever-growing group of regulars. As much as Desnudo has become a viral sensation, it's also developed a neighborhood feel, with the brothers befriending customers and sharing stories about the farmers from whom they source their coffee beans.

Desnudo works directly with around 15 small, family-run coffee farms in Colombia. Together, the brothers and their cousin Manuel Flores, who acts as their on-the-ground liaison, have cut out the middlemen who usually comprise the coffee distribution chain. The Trujillos and Flores teach farmers how to make their own compost, diversify crops, and more sustainably process their coffee beans. "The idea is that our projects with farmers will help to recover the land, and we believe we can do it one farm at a time," Juan explains.

The brothers are also building a new, larger trailer that will soon accompany the original. A brick-and-mortar could be on the horizon, they say, but these perfectionists see no rush and won't jump until every detail is considered. Plus, the trailer has wonderful memories, the sweetest being when their grandmother came to visit Desnudo for the first time last March. "She was the first one who ever gave us a little loan of money to start when we were in Colombia," Juan says. "And when she saw the trailer, she started crying. She said that she was so proud, and that my loan was forgiven."

Desnudo Coffee