We keep track of just about every detail across the Build-Outs of Coffee feature series, and we believe today represents something particularly unique in our archives. This feature takes us to the tiny town of Elverson, PA—population 1,322—and what may very well be the smallest jurisdiction ever to be featured in a Build-Outs story. Elverson is due east of Philadelphia, most of the way to Lancaster, and home to Twin Valley Coffee, a family-owned business with a 20 year legacy of serving coffee. Let’s learn more about their new space!
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
As told to Sprudge by Nicole Weisman.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Twin Valley Coffee is a family-owned business that has always done things a little differently. What began in 2005 with Lynn Burkholder roasting coffee in a hot-air popcorn popper grew into a roadside stand, then a beloved gazebo in the front yard. Along the way it created a dedicated following and eventually a family of cafes. 20 years later, we’ve returned to our original site, building something uniquely us: a cafe made from nine shipping containers.
We are proud to say we roast all our coffee and brew all our cold brew in our local production facility. We serve guests at our five cafes and supply and support our wholesale partners. Over the years, we have remained consistent. We make great coffee, and we care for the people around us.
The communities our cafes call home matter deeply to us, and we want every cafe to be more than a place to simply grab a cup of coffee. Our driving purpose, Community Beyond the Cup, was created from this idea. This purpose guides the care we show not only to our customers, but also to the employees who serve alongside us.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Our newest cafe, which we affectionately call Main Street, is not just an homage to our humble beginnings, but a trajectory towards Twin Valley Coffee’s future. In a small community, we did not want to merely add another building to the landscape—we wanted to add beauty.
Our architect, Mark Myers, designed around the nine containers rather than simply stacking them together. Myers wanted to create a warm interior, deeply connected to the space’s history. He created a place to breathe and be. Though the interior is small, his design gives it a spacious feel. Large windows open onto a courtyard designed to “block out the world.”
The gazebo resides in the courtyard as a beautiful reminder, preserving the nostalgia of where we’ve been while welcoming the community to where we are going. It carries on the way we’ve always approached our business: with excellence, and the road less traveled.
What’s your approach to coffee?
At Twin Valley Coffee, you will often hear a barista saying to a new customer, “Your life is about to changeⓇ.” This phrase originated during the early years of the gazebo when Lynn Burkholder, the founder, would serve our Signature Cold Brew to first-time customers. He would look them in the eye and, while sliding the drink over to them, he would say, “Your life is about to changeⓇ.” Before long, regulars were saying the same thing.
It remains a core promise to our customers. Whether you are a coffee fanatic or have yet to taste your first sip, we promise “Your life is about to changeⓇ.”
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We use La Marzocco espresso equipment exclusively across all of our cafes. We’re excited to have a four-group La Marzocco GB5 AV espresso machine at Main Street. It’s also one of the last four-group GB5s La Marzocco ever built, which makes it a particularly special part of the new cafe.
Cold brew is a staple of what we do. All of our cafes have cold brew on tap, and the gazebo did as well. In fact, the gazebo was one of the first places in the area to serve nitro cold brew.
How is your project considering sustainability? What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We opened in June of 2026!
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
We were fortunate to work with a truly talented group of professionals who understood the vision of this project and executed it well.
D. Howe and Sons, our builder, turned a non-standard build into something functional and beautiful. Working with shipping containers presented unique challenges, and they met each one with creative solutions.
Mark C. Myers Architects, led by architect Mark Myers, helped us imagine what this project could become. Myers balanced honoring Twin Valley Coffee’s history while creating something entirely new from what initially looked like a collection of plain metal containers. Most importantly, he understood the gazebo needed to remain at the heart of the story.
Our interior designer, Lynn Godshall of GCI Design, helped turn our vision for the space into reality. We wanted this build to feel like us—warm, intentional, and welcoming—while preserving the property’s history. Godshall did just that!
Thank you!
Thank you! We are honored to be included in this series!
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
