Caffeine is a must for most given the early mornings and long days that accompany a life with horses. Galway Downs exhibitors get much more than caffeine thanks to the family-owned Woodbine Coffee Company trailer that joined our food court in March of 2024.
Woodbine’s hand-crafted beverage menu ranges from simple coffees to healthy electrolyte drinks. They’re all made with fresh, clean, simple ingredients, a lot of love and a great back story.
Drew and Gillian Trembly opened Woodbine as a family-run business after Drew left the corporate world in July of 2023. That was after several months of deciding that missing out on family time and experiences wasn’t worth it.
The couple has four daughters, ranging in age from 11 to four-months. Even a relatively short drive from their home in Riverside County’s Menifee to a sales call in Orange County meant that Drew missed the chance to tuck the girls in at night.
As the couple mulled entrepreneurial options, the COVID shut down helped them hone in on coffee. “COVID opened our eyes to what businesses stay and go,” Drew recalls. “Coffee is almost essential for people. Even though a lot of people gave up tons of stuff during COVID, they didn’t give up coffee.”
They also realized that a mobile business would facilitate family time. Drew and Gillian home school their girls and support their passion for dance. While challenging, owning their own mobile business could offer the flexibility needed to juggle priorities. Their oldest, Remi, is already adept at making coffees and ringing up customers and the couple envisions her sisters will work alongside them, too, in the future.
Coffee Connections
Drew’s family ties to and lifelong love of coffee boded well for their potential as coffee entrepreneurs. Drew’s mother Jamie Trembly owns Black Horse Roasters, which sources Fair Trade beans from sustainable farmers around the world. So, they had a proven, trusted source for their beans.
“Plus, Drew is our chef at home,” Gillian shares. “He cooks amazing things and has come up with all of our home-made syrups and other menu items.” Brown sugar maple lattes were Drew’s first recipe for Woodbine, and that drink continues to be their most popular.
Ironically, Gillian didn’t drink coffee until Woodbine got started. “I disliked it! But I realized it was about the quality of the coffee and the things put in it. From the moment we embarked on this journey, we’ve been very specific about the ingredients.”
Those qualities set Woodbine apart. “All of our coffees are hand crafted,” Gillian says. “You’re not getting any artificial flavors, dyes or sweeteners.”
Careful Growth
The emphasis on quality means that Woodbine doesn’t have an extensive menu. “We don’t have every flavor of syrup, or cold brews, for example. But we’re putting every detail into this coffee shop,” she continues. “We want to offer something you can taste and feel and not worry that it has chemicals in it.”
The best ingredients go into their coffees and other drinks in the trailer, and into the increasingly popular line of bottled beverages sold widely under the Woodbine label.
The Tremblys anticipate that bottled drinks will be then next phase of growth. They’re also contemplating a coffee cart suitable for smaller events – like weddings and corporate or family parties. “We’re at that point where we know we can hold ourselves back or soar,” Drew reflects.
Gillian designs Woodbine’s branding, but the days of handwritten notes on each bottle label may be numbered due to their growth. “We’re a small family business and we’ll need to make adjustments,” Drew adds. “It’s a good spot to be in.”
No Bad Days
The Galway Downs opportunity came early in Woodbine Coffee Company’s existence. Another mobile coffee company was unable to make a show and suggested the Tremblys take it on. It was love at first event.
“It was a smaller show, but we saw how gorgeous the property is. Robert (Kellerhouse) and Katy (Robinson) came by and they were awesome,” Gillian remembers. That was in early 2024, and since then they’ve happily booked weekends at Kellerhouse Presents-managed competitions. “There are no bad days at Galway,” Drew says.
Even as their calendar fills up with various events through the year, the Tremblys value good relationships and plan to continue as a regular presence at Galway Downs.
The competitive horse show scene was new to their family, but horses are not. Drew’s mother owns two Friesians – hence the name Black Horse Roasters for her business. And Gillian is a lifelong horse girl who was leasing an Arabian when she and Drew met.
Whether competing, supporting or spectating at Galway Downs, everyone can count on a delicious, wholesome beverage thanks to the leap of faith and life transition the Tremblys made with Woodbine Coffee Company.
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