Tega Cay Coffee Company born amidst a heart transplant, honeymoon, and pandemic
Ambitious and motivated owner of Tega Cay Coffee Company Brian Bourgal has been a hustler since childhood. Always on his feet, keeping busy, and chasing dreams, until heart failure in 2010 slowed him down. He was able to keep things at bay with medicine for a while, but in 2018, medicine could no longer keep his heart going. In December 2018, he was admitted to Atrium’s CMC Main. Shortly after, a donor heart from a tragic accident arrived via rooftop helicopter on January 3, 2019. Seven days later, Brian found himself moving full speed ahead, full of energy, and thriving on keeping busy.
Ever since his short stint in Southern California, Brian has long dreamed of owning a unique coffee shop and decided he wasn’t going to let his restored energy and health go to waste. Brian has another full-time job but with extra time on his hands during quarantine, he hand-built the coffee cart and launched the first day of business during his stay-at-home honeymoon with his wife of two months. Talk about a lot going on!
Fast forward a few months, and Brian’s best-selling coffee is Skippers Signature. Fun fact: Skipper is Brian’s dog he got right after his heart transplant, who he named after the surgeon who gave him a new life.
The mobility of the coffee cart, the on-board kegerator with dual taps for cold brew and latte, and the commercial coffee grinder and brewer are what make this cart truly unique. Tega Cay Coffee Company also prides itself on having that friendly, relatable, down-to-earth vibe with coffee that appeals from the simplest to the most complex of coffee palettes.
ABOUT THE COFFEE
The blends you’ll find at Tega Cay Coffee Co. are from around the world - Central American countries like Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, as well as Eastern African beans from Ethiopian and from as far as from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The coffee is sourced from Sugar Creek Coffee Roasters in Indian Trail (also a new company). The two are excited to grow their business alongside each other with the opportunity to bottle, can, and work with breweries and restaurants on coffee-based beer and cocktail concoctions.
Brian's favorite drink and current crowd-pleaser is the vanilla latte but stay tuned - he has big plans brewing already and can't wait to introduce you to the Skipper Pourover.
At the end of the day, Brian is happy that he has the energy to run his startup business. He couldn’t even walk to the mailbox before his transplant, and now he’s spending 6 hours in the heat serving his passion with no issue.
“With having been so close to not surviving just 1.5 years ago to building my own brand and watching it actually work is great. In our short time of being open we have had frequent customers come back each day we are operating. I really enjoy living here and the best part is having other local businesses want to work together.” -- Owner Brian Bourgal
You’ll find the mobile coffee café all around town from Tega Cay to Fort Mill, so be sure to follow along on social media or visit tegacaycoffeeco.com for their schedule. Take advantage of the current delivery service: order online before Sunday 11pm, and coffee will arrive on your doorstep before 12pm Monday! Learn more here.
Tega Cay Coffee Company
Phone: 516.754.7298
Email: tegacaycoffeeco@gmail.com
Social media: @tegacaycoffeeco
