BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey
October 2020
Kota Stewart was working at a sushi joint on U.S. Highway 19 when construction started on the drive-thru coffee stand across the street.
For some, the White Duck Espresso coffee stand might have seemed like a curious oddity, as if someone plopped a backyard shed in the middle of the Universal Plaza parking lot.
But Kota knew what was up and was pleasantly surprised and excited about the coming prospect.
“I’m from the Pacific Northwest so I knew right away what they were doing – what it was,” said Kota, who now creates specialty coffee and lotus energy drinks there along with about 11 full and part-time employees.
The Espresso Shake is the best seller and the Thin Mint Espresso Shake is to-die for. Or so it seems according to a savvy social media marketing effort that typically comes with a mouthwatering photo.
“Tastes just like those ubiquitous cookies you grew up with, but caffeinated, drinkable, and obtainable year-round from a drive-thru coffee shop in New Port Richey, FL. Drizzled some chocolate in there. Crumbled some cookie on top of the whip. Your call on if that’s how you roll – the shake is good on its own; excellent with the trimmings.”
White Duck Espresso/Social Media
To some locals, White Duck Espresso might seem like an outlier.
For transplants like Kota, it’s a beacon from home, where Indie coffee stands are as common as Starbucks and Dunkin’ in these parts.
Kota Stewart photo by White Duck Espresso
It’s catching on as evidenced by the long line of customers making the turn off U.S. Highway 19.
On weekends the drive-thru line can be 30 cars deep with two baristas taking orders on iPads, and a few inside making drinks to hurry it up, said Robyn Matthews, a Washington State native who grew up on the outskirts of Seattle.
She runs the operation along with her husband, Kyle Matthews, and their west-coast partner, Josh Hanson.
The goal is to get customers on their way – 90 seconds per transaction, said Robyn, who can be found working the car line or in the stand about five-days-a-week.
PHOTO\MICHELE MILLER
It’s her homemade espresso drinks that the business was named for. A fun title the couple conjured while settling in for a cup in her tiny Tampa apartment overlooking a pond with a spattering of ducks. White ducks.
At the time, they were new to the area. The espresso machine was the most expensive thing in the apartment. Opening a coffee stand was a “maybe some day” far-off wish.
Their shared pining for the hometown trend evolved into a solid business plan, fueled by the idea that they could sell the indie coffee stand experience here. Kyle had the corporate background. Robyn had experience in the service industry. Hanson, a friend for twenty years, came on as their Seattle-side founder.
“We officially came up with the concept in 2014, and then really got serious about it three years ago,” Robyn said.
The partners studied traffic patterns on major thruways in Pasco. They spoke with 50 lot owners, some who expressed no interest in the concept. They ended up signing a 10-year lease for a parcel at the Universal Plaza in New Port Richey.
“We needed a place that had a high traffic flow and would be easy for commuters going to work, and that area seemed to be good for that,” Robyn said, noting that the partners are currently scouting a couple of new locations.
The permitting process took awhile, she said, in part because the concept was new and unusual for county officials. They got the go-ahead. Kyle and Josh worked with the contractor building the stand. Robyn created the menu and found distributors.
White Duck’s coffee beans come from a fair-trade farm in Peru. Other products are locally sourced when possible, Robyn said, adding that the coffee beans are roasted in Oldsmar and the “super amazing” flavored syrups and sauces are procured from a woman owned-business.
And while the drinks are at the core of it, customer service is as important as the coffee, she said. White Duck Espresso was recently nominated in four categories for Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay awards, including Best Customer Service.
“I love my people,” said Robyn of her employees. “They’re from all different walks of life – moms, kids going to college – and they’re all really hard workers.”
That means baristas get to know your name, your favorite drink and maybe offer a suggestion if you’re looking to try something new.
There is also an altruistic connection to White Duck Espresso that’s well worth mentioning. One that is deeply personal for Kyle and Robyn Matthews.
A percentage of proceeds from White Duck Espresso sales go to Beat Childhood Cancer, a parent-founded and parent-led organization that, according to their website, drives clinical trials and research in over 45 children’s hospitals and research institutions across North America.
Beat Childhood Cancer is an outgrowth of a more personal effort. For 6 years, Robyn and Kyle headed an organization named “Because of Ezra,” named after their son, Ezra, who passed away from a childhood cancer called Neuroblastoma in 2008. They later merged their organization with other parent-led non-profits to form Beat Childhood Cancer. Kyle now serves as executive director.
Photo courtesy of the Matthews family
There’s more.
In 2010 Robyn was pregnant with twins when she got the news that Ezra had relapsed; that there was nothing more that could be done. The twins were delivered three months prematurely soon after. Sadly their son, Price, passed away after a few days. Then Ezra. Charley, who is now 10, was hospitalized for 7 months. He has cerebral palsy.
“He’s amazing and so kind and a wonderful human being,” Robyn said of Charley, who is a fourth-grade student at Connerton Elementary School in Land O’Lakes.
While some proceeds will benefit children like Ezra, Robyn and Kyle are also building a business for Charley.
“We want to pass it on to Charley one day,” Robyn said. “We don’t know what his future will be. The world does not adapt to people with disabilities such as his. We want to build something that would make his life more accessible. He’s smart. We know he can do this.”
If you go…
White Duck Espresso is located at 3561 U.S. Highway 19 in New Port Richey. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
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