A large crowd of about 75 people crowded around the Drip Coffee Bar on Fourth Street Friday morning to help R.J. and Charlene Tapia celebrate during a grand opening and ribbon cutting.
The shop at 2934 Fourth Street is a rebirth of Bishop’s Coffee, which officially closed Feb. 14.
The south Modesto couple purchased a coffee trailer business in July 2023 and catered mostly to private and company events.
“That’s just kind of how we got our feet wet and then the opportunity came about,” said Charlene. “We were able to build a community through the coffee trailer, which was great and then this opportunity came about and here we are.”
When asked how they generated such a large crowd for our grand opening, she explained that she and her husband are full-time real estate agents. Charlene has two decades experience in real estate and R.J. nine years.
“So we’ve just built community and we have a huge church family. We’re from south Modesto and so I think people have really enjoyed the journey to watch us we grow.”
The coffee shop plans to be open Mondays through Thursdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Fridays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We want to provide a space for the youth to come and hang out or families after a busy week,” explained Charlene about the longer Friday hours.
The business will be closes on Sundays because they attend church and are involved in ministry at Apostolic Jubilee Center on Lassen Avenue in south Modesto where they’ve worshiped for 11 years.
“That church has been a big impact so they’re like the center of all things,” she said.
The shop has five employees but they hope to expand with the growth of the business.
Charlene put her design skills to give the coffee house a refreshing modern environment.
Traditional coffee and espresso is, of course, served but the business also has 11 signature lattes which come iced or hot. They include:
• Honey & Cinnamon Latte topped with vanilla cold foam and Honeycomb cereal;
• CinnaToast – white chocolate and cinnamon latte topped with vanilla cold foam and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal;
• Teddy Graham – brown sugar, honey cinnamon latte topped with vanilla cold foam and Teddy Graham cereal;
• Lavendar Latte – lavender and white chocolate topped with vanilla cold foam and edible lavender sprinkles;
• Rose Latte – rose latte topped with vanilla cold foam and edible rose pedals;
• Black & White – organic chocolate and white chocolate topped with vanilla cold foam and cocoa sprinkles;
• Shakerari – double or triple shot espresso shaken with brown sugar and ice, topped with oat milk and cinnamon sprinkles;
• Banana Pudding Latte – white chocolate and banana latte topped with banana pudding cold foam, white cream and Vanilla Wafers;
• Mazapan Latte – Mazapan crumble latte with whipped and Mazapan;
• Soda Energy Bar and Mangonada.
