Coffee On The Go Bald Guy Brew Is High Country’s Mobile Coffee House Don Cox finishes roasting Sumatran organic fair trade coffee at the Watauga County Farmer's Market. Photo by Marie Freeman By Marie Freeman There’s a bald guy out in Sugar Grove who can’t wait to brew a cup of coffee and take it to the marketplace — wherever in the High Country that may be. Don Cox, owner of Bald Guy Brew, decided to go mobile with a new coffee-bean roasting machine, espresso, smoothie, frappe and drip coffee making operation set up in his specially equipped van. Cox and his wife, Shannon, decided at the beginning that their business would be eco-friendly and socially responsible. “Those are our core values,” Cox said. These values are seen in every aspect of Bald Guy Brew from the use of smoothie cups made out of corn products to incorporating solar panels to run the van when an electric supply is unavailable, to the selling of only certified fair-trade coffees. “We support farmers using sustainable practices. This is important because every pound of certified fair trade coffee we purchase makes a difference in the coffee growing communities. Ten percent of every sale is donated to a selected local agency in the countries where we buy our coffee,” Cox said. The idea of Bald Guy Brew came after Shannon visited a friend in Seattle. Upon returning home, she shared it with Cox, who ran with the idea of a mobile coffee shop. “According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, we are the only one of our kind,” Cox said. The cabinetry, the refrigeration and electronic gadgets in the white van have been custom-made to ensure that it contains everything a high-end coffee shop needs. In the back of the vehicle sits a 350-pound roaster, which swings out from an internal jib boom. Clemmons Welding created the boom so Cox could move the roaster himself. In the seven weeks that Bald Guy Brew has been on the road, business has been good. He has been spotted serving coffee at the Farmers’ Market, in front of the Wellness Center and at the Sugar Grove Music Fest, just to name a few. For more info about Bald Guy Brew visit: www.baldguybrew.com/Our_Story.html