MISSOULA — If you've driven on Stevens Avenue in Missoula over the past few years, you've probably seen a line of cars on the sidewalk, some with one tire on the curb and with one tire in the street.
That's the queue for people craving Copper Mountain Coffee waiting outside their old spot.
"Two hundred, 300 people a day. I mean, in the morning, I'm at least making probably up to 100 moonshines a day," store manager Natalie Drozdz told MTN.
Copper Mountain Coffee has become a staple around Western Montana with 14 locations ranging from Missoula to Columbia Falls to Libby.
They've amassed such a following that one of their locations in the Garden City had to move into a bigger building to handle the traffic.
Learn more about the new Copper Mountain Coffee location:
"It's just brought a huge diverse clientele and now we have a way better parking situation. We have arrows, everything's paved. Busier and fun, much safer," Drozdz detailed.
For many, the moonshine, or special lotus energy drinks on tap, are what keep them coming back.
"We have our own recipe that has the lotus combined with the CO2 on tap. Everyone tries to make it at home. They're like, 'it never tastes the same!'" Drozdz said.
Many frequent Copper Mountain for their service, which is as upbeat as five shots of espresso.
"I love the gals that work here and it brightens my day every day coming, not to mention they have awesome coffee," customer Amanda Price said out her window at the drive-through.
It's not uncommon for staff to see familiar faces every day or even multiple times a day.
"We have so many regulars, we just have such a die-hard customer client base and we're so honored to have them," Drozdz shared.
Copper Mountain hopes to add more stores across the state in the future. But for now, they're excited to have a building on Stephens that fits their needs.
