Sierra Vista is a bit off the beaten path, but it has been slowly growing its culinary and craft drink scene in lockstep with the rest of the state. One standout establishment to put its roots in the area is Urbano Coffee Company. Headed up by Jessica and Ricardo Sariñana, the coffee roasters have gone from a tiny two-person team with a borrowed roaster to a 20-person strong staff with a burgeoning and diverse menu. “The roaster we’ve been using started off in a garage of a friend’s house. At the time, my husband and I were cleaning, painting, and remodeling houses,” said Jessica. “Our friend had a couple wholesale accounts and asked if we’d like to start roasting coffee and we were like, ‘heck yeah we do!’ So we took over his existing business called Brews Brothers, that had an arm located in the Coconino Community College library and went by the name Sierra Café.”
After a fire-related mishap (Jessica called it a “learning experience”) the pair decided a commercial space would be more fitting. Said space was a shed on the corner of Ramsey and Highway 92, but thanks to some clever marketing and strategic coffee offerings, customers began asking “when will you start serving lattes?” and “will you start carrying other drinks?” This interest fertilized their already strong roots and prompted them to grow into a full-fledged coffee shop.
After the owners of Urbano’s first location sold the property, the couple set up shop in the bones of an old pool cleaning company. Evidence of this can be seen in the still-existing pool in the front that used to serve as a demonstration pool for various cleaning tools. The size of the location necessitated the transition into a full-service restaurant. “Having room to grow into the building was a good problem, but that kinda got overshadowed by the fact that this all happened in the beginning of 2020.”
Needless to say, the perils of starting a new business were daunting in and of themselves, but piling on the added pressure of the pandemic made them have to think on their feet and pivot into something that could sustain the company. Keeping with the trend of comradery in the industry, Urbano built ties with other shops in town and were a part of the support structure that helped keep everyone’s doors open. They also have some ties in the rest of Arizona as well as outside the state. Some notable examples would be Wonderlust, Fryfire, Coffee Stains, and Boot Scootin’ Brew in Nevada.
Some things on the horizon are a fresh, tasty shrimp ceviche that is going to be available starting in December, a turkey pesto sandwich that is made with house-made pesto and a side of truffle fries, as well as offering bring-your-own-beans roasting service, a series of coffee tastings and education, as well as a whole complement of vegan and keto-friendly menu options. Should you decide to dine in, they also have a couple beers on tap and a good selection of wines.
Written by Isaac Stockton
Photography by Isaac Stockton
4711 AZ-92, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650