By Jason Zasky

White Shepherd

Faith, family, and lots of tasty coffee

“Let’s grab a cup. That is what police officers say when they want to get a cup of coffee together,” offers Adam Sturgeon, who was a police sergeant in Long Beach, California, before moving to Spring Hill with his wife Kristi and daughters Kayli and Addison. So it’s perhaps no surprise that he borrowed that phrase, “Let’s Grab a Cup,” for the title of a podcast he created that encourages people to take time out of their day to talk and listen to one other.

The podcast—launched in Jan. 2022—is about getting together over coffee, he says, “because the best times at work for me came during downtime, when we could meet up at a coffee shop and have real conversations, not just about work but about our personal lives.” Sturgeon came to appreciate how important those kinds of conversations are, especially in the wake of the suicide of one of his fellow police officers.

The podcast also helped make coffee a big part of his professional life. In fact, he and his wife now own and operate White Shepherd Coffee—on Parkfield Loop North near the Bridge Church in Spring Hill—which started as a mobile coffee trailer in November 2022 but has since expanded to include a more traditional retail location. 

"I didn’t have any prior experience with coffee, but I picked the brain of one of my old partners, who has a brother who owns a coffee shop in Long Beach. He helped us through the beginning stages,” recalls Sturgeon, before noting that another friend, one who owns a food truck in California, suggested testing out the business with a mobile trailer before opening a shop.

It's safe to say that the test period went well, based on recent developments. 

"We started right there in front of our current location with the trailer, and then people got used to coming there. Soon, it was pretty apparent that we needed to build that space out to become a coffee shop. So, at night, the trailer is stored inside the space, and by day, it's a coffee shop,” explains Sturgeon, who says the name of the business was inspired by a pair of white shepherd dogs that are owned by his parents. 

“It’s all organic, fair-trade coffee from Washington state, with beans that originate from Ethiopia, Guatemala, and South America. We have a dark roast, a medium roast blend, and a decaf option, and they all have chocolate notes in them,” he elaborates before explaining why he is bucking the trend of selling a locally sourced product. 

“Everyone wants to show that their products are local, which I understand, and while we tasted some great local coffees, we wanted to be different. I didn’t want people to go down the street and get the same cup of coffee they get from us. I want our customers to have something that tastes noticeably different,” notes Sturgeon.

Indeed, the establishment’s most popular drinks—the “White Shepherd” and the “German Shepherd”—are distinctive, with the former a latte-style drink that incorporates almond syrup and white chocolate and the latter featuring dark chocolate with pecan and coconut.

As one might expect, White Shepherd also serves breakfast sandwiches and bagels, not to mention assorted pastries and snacks. And the proprietors do it all while emphasizing and reinforcing the values of faith, family, and trust. 

"We want to not merely be a business; we also want to be part of the community and build trust within it. We want it to be a place where you can gather and have good conversation and learn about each other,” says Sturgeon, before adding: “Because we are built in faith, we want to give back. So, any tips we get, we donate ten percent of those back to the community,” with the Church of the City’s Wrap Around Closet being one of the beneficiaries. 

Meanwhile, White Shepherd is still utilizing its trailer, taking it out on the road from four to six days a week, visiting Spring Hill’s Wade’s Grove community on Tuesdays and the Harvest Point community on Thursdays. The trailer also ventures out to Club Wyndam (Nashville) on Mondays and a diverse range of events on Saturdays, including school events. 

That said, White Shepherd’s success has Adam and Kristi beginning to look ahead to the possibility of adding another retail location. 

"I want us to grow organically, no pun intended,” quips Sturgeon. “We are definitely looking at the possibility of another location and where that might be.”

visit https://www.whiteshepherdcoffee.com

White Shepherd Coffee is located at 4001 Parkfield Loop N., #40, in Spring Hill

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