A coffee shop in a vintage Airstream: Inside Cherrybomb Coffee Co.’s first Baton Rouge location

A Mandeville-born coffee shop is bombing into Baton Rouge with its first location near LSU’s North Gates. Cherrybomb Coffee Co. debuted in late May inside a 1973 Airstream parked on West Chimes Street. 

In a Tuesday, May 29, post, the shop dropped the news that the coffee truck was set to open the next day. With a grab-and-go model, the Airstream has since been serving up a variety of the shop’s classic bevs along with other seasonal sippers and a few specialty ones unique to the Baton Rouge location. Pastries and breakfast sandwiches from CounterspaceBR are also on deck. 

Though Cherrybomb’s opening may have come as a surprise to most fans of the brand, owner Noah McLain says his business is no stranger to the Capital Region. He says Cherrybomb has been doing pop-ups at and around LSU for a while. Seeing the demand for Cherrybomb, McLain felt Baton Rouge needed its own permanent location. While the new outpost opened during summer, a notoriously slow time for businesses close to campus, McLain says he’s seen a steady crowd, with some customers stopping in multiple times a day.

“After coming out here and just serving everyone and seeing how Baton Rouge had such open arms to my business, I was like, ‘That’s the next place I want to be,’” he says.

McLain says he and his team had been searching for spots around town for a while. The idea was to find a physical location, but after stumbling upon a concrete slab on West Chimes Street for rent, McLain decided to make it work. He purchased a 1973 Airstream from a Cherrybomb regular, then spent a month gutting and outfitting it with the help of his friends and Cherrybomb teammates. 

The result is a retro-inspired coffee truck that will stay stationary near LSU. Inside, there’s room for two to three employees to work comfortably, along with a small, burgundy couch for lounging, air conditioning and everything needed to make cold and hot coffees and other coffee shop staples. McLain says the Baton Rouge spot is consistent with the vibes of the brand’s other locations while also having its own quirks, like pops of vintage LSU decor.

Though short on space, the Airstream holds plenty of character and various details that tie it to other Cherrybomb locations. McLain says the branding is inspired by retro diners, old gas stations and, of course, cherries. Its signature smiley cherry mascot can be seen on coffee cups and merch sold at the truck.

Retro vibes are strong with coffee syrups kept in old Coca-Cola bottles, black-and-white checkered floors inside the truck, red-and-white striped paper straws and old-school patio furniture for those wanting to take a seat after getting served.

The truck even has a machine that can print logos and icons onto latte foams.   

The drink menu includes Cherrybomb staples like a honey lavender latte, a maple bourbon latte and the Cherrybomb, a shaken espresso drink with dark chocolate, cherry and cinnamon. Classics are also on offer, like macchiatos, cortados and cappuccinos, along with ceremonial-grade matchas, chai lattes, drip coffee and nitro cold brews on tap. 

Drinks exclusive to Baton Rouge include the Bengal Brew, a cold brew with white chocolate and caramel drizzle that’s topped an ube cold foam and vanilla; Mike’s Matcha, a matcha latte sweetened with honey and lavender and topped with ube cold foam; and Geaux Juice, a lemonade drink with lavender and ube topped with a dried lemon slice. 

“We’re really big on unconventional flavor combinations,” McLain says. 

The food menu is also unique to the new location, with croissants, pop-tarts, chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free Rice Krispies treats and cake balls from CounterspaceBR. McLain says he wanted to sell the local bakery’s goods because he felt it had a similar approach to business as Cherrybomb does. 

McLain was inspired to start his business after working in various coffee shops on the Northshore. While in college at Southeastern Louisiana University, he began roasting his own beans out of his parents’ garage and eventually launched with a coffee cart. He opened the first Cherrybomb location in Mandeville. A second spot in Madisonville is now the brand’s headquarters, where bean roasting and catering are based.

Aside from its three locations, Cherrybomb also has a robust catering system allowing it to service the Gulf South with five pop-up coffee carts and one mobile coffee trailer for events like weddings, corporate events and more. McLain says this part of the biz caters around 300 events a year and can be booked through Cherrybomb’s website. 

“I just want people to know that we’ve been around. People think we’re brand-new,” McLain says about Cherrybomb’s Baton Rouge presence. “But our catering operation really paved the way for us to be here.” 

In the future, McLain says he’s excited to see how the truck does in its current spot. He hopes to stay at this location for at least a year or more and says he’s open to a brick-and-mortar shop if the opportunity arises. 

Cherrybomb Coffee Co. is at 136 W. Chimes St. It is currently open with its summer hours seven days a week from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Find the full menu and more about Cherrybomb here.