Khmericano Coffee’s 10,000-mile journey to Pineville

PINEVILLE, La. (KALB) - Kristen and Bibi Leang’s dream of opening a coffee shop is now a reality. Who knew a 2011 mission trip to Cambodia would turn into another mission, opening a coffee shop in her own backyard.

Pineville’s newest coffee shop, Khmericano Coffee, is a dream come true for the owners.

The two met in Cambodia while Kristen was on a mission trip, and they married and moved back to Louisiana.

After moving back, they purchased their first mobile coffee shop

“Well, we started out in a 1974 Volkswagen Beetle bus,” explained Kristen.

But, they quickly outgrew it.

“It was super uncomfortable for Bibi because he had to sit down while he was making the coffee,” said Kristen. “I had to stand outside because there was no room for me inside the truck.”

This led the couple to buy a truck and refurbish a horse trailer to make their second mobile coffee shop. Through the years, Khmericano Coffee has weathered many storms, including a wreck last year that totaled their truck and trailer. But tragedy turned to triumph and Khmericano Coffee is now a storefront.

“We could have lost a lot more last year than just a truck and the trailer,” said Kristen. “I think this is a big testimony of where God has brought us from, together as a couple and how we’ve grown in our marriage.”

The goodness is not only served in the coffee.

“A lot of what we do here is to be a good steward,” said Kristen.

The Leangs said Khmericano Coffee is about being good stewards, all the way down to reducing their shop’s effect on the environment.

“We want to just leave a smaller carbon footprint,” explained Kristen. “A lot of the food we serve is a lot of fresh herbs, fresh foods, clean foods.

Khmericano Coffee is located at 3919 Highway 28 East, Suite A. They are open every day until 4 p.m. You can catch them every Tuesday at the Alexandria Farmer’s Market.

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