The first espresso coffee bar in Valdez was started by Billie's parents—alongside her Uncle Donnie and Aunt Suzie—in the spring of 1993 at the Valdez Airport, back when the airport was bustling with multiple daily flights and tours to the terminal. That little espresso bar was an instant hit.

We opened a second location the next year, [1994] right in town at the Harbor Court building—yep, the same spot The Coffee Co still calls home, 31 years later.

Originally, the coffee bar was just a 100-square-foot take-out window inside The General Store gift shop. We served Kaladi Brothers coffee and focused on quality and consistency. In 1997, Aunt Suzie renamed it The Copper Spike. Over the years it changed ownership a few times and was renamed Latte Dah. In 2022, Billie purchased the shop from Ken and Kelly Deaton—and brought the coffee bar full circle, as The Coffee Co.

I grew up behind the coffee bar—always wanting to take orders, make drinks and run the cash register. In 2018, my world shifted after the loss of my son, Kade. In the search for purpose and healing, the opportunity to purchase the coffee shop presented itself, I took it. It brought me back behind the coffee bar, a place I spent so much of my childhood.

Since 2022, The Coffee Co. has turned some of my heartbreak into connection—building something rooted in warmth, intention, and community. From the crew I get to work alongside, to the locals and travelers who walk through our doors, we continue to grow, evolve, and pour a little meaning into every cup. This place isn’t just a coffee shop—it’s a piece of my story, and I hope when you’re here, it feels a bit like home.