We had the good fortune of connecting with Summer & Michael Smiles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Summer & Michael, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Show Kindness. We are big on believing that the energy you put out in the world will come right back to you. We are so blessed and fortunate to be doing what we love and think that showing kindness is the biggest impact that we could make on our community and people around us

What should our readers know about your business?
We are a mobile coffee truck that was dreamt of and built by owners and engaged couple, Summer & Michael Smiles. We moved to Colorado from Chicago in April 2022 and knew that we wanted to prioritize a work/life balance, spending more time together, meeting new people and exploring our new state. We spent months dreaming and planning our mobile coffee business leading up to us purchasing our cargo utility trailer in July 2022. We were overwhelmed with excitement and energy, which was great because little did we know, we would be spending the next 8 months gutting and rebuilding our trailer into what it is today. During the building process, we faced countless setbacks, hurdles and challenges. It felt like our dream of opening a mobile coffee truck was shattered and we had dug ourselves too deep. We learned how to quickly adapt and that we were the only ones who could truly turn this dream into a reality. I think we felt every emotion possible as we were “youtubing” how to build tables, hang shiplap, cut a service window and lay floorboards ha! We are so proud to say that we built our business by hand, from the wheels up and pushed through every thought of thinking it was “too hard” and wanting to give up. In April 2023, exactly one year after we moved to Colorado, Mountain Brews was officially ready to open!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooooo love this! It would definitely start with a doors-off Jeep ride through Garden of the Gods with our friends and pup, Chip. We would explore Old Colorado City (Bonus points if it’s on a Saturday for the Old Colorado City Farmer’s Market!) and take them for a walk around town to see all of the cute shops. We’d have to hit up a taco shop, outdoor brewery and catch some rays. The trip wouldn’t be complete without a hike in the mountains, a coffee date and a concert at the Red Rocks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow! If we have been blessed with one thing on our journey, it has been the support of our family, friends and community combined. We are fortunate to have a strong community back in Chicago and in Colorado that have pushed us to follow our passion and to never give up on our day dream. They have seen our journey from the early days of being a dream, watched us purchase our cargo utility trailer, seen us in our worst moments of frustration during our building process and continued to cheer us on from near and far to see the coffee truck that Mountain Brews is today!

Instagram: mountainbrewscoffee

Facebook: mountain brews coffee

Image Credits
Hannah Rummel Photography Andrew Glatt Photography Michael Smiles Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.