On Saturday, March 21, a crowd gathered at the corner of Simpson Avenue and North Street in Ocean City around a newly opened mobile coffee shop.
Behind the counter were cousins Anna Mercurio, 26, and Chiara Dawkins, 24 — owners of Cousin’s Coffee Corner — serving customers at their soft opening and taking in a moment they had imagined for years.
It all started as a passing idea in 2023. Now, it’s a full-fledged business built from the ground up with their own hands.
“We’ve had the thought for a couple of years. It almost started as a joke,” Dawkins said.
After years of working together and realizing how well they collaborated, they decided to take the leap in 2024.
“We were finally just like, ‘Why not?’ We were talking about it for so long,” Dawkins said.
From that moment, the two were consumed, pouring their time, energy and money into building a business that reflected both of their personalities and shared passion for coffee.
When asked why they chose to sell coffee, they said it felt like a natural choice. Both cousins work as baristas at Jon & Patty’s in Ocean City, where Dawkins is also a manager, and Mercurio balances her time as a yoga instructor at Strengthening Souls Yoga Studio in Somers Point.
But their connection to coffee goes back even further, tied to family traditions and everyday life.
“We’ve been drinking coffee since we were babies, pretty much,” Dawkins said.
For the cousins, coffee has always been a way to connect.
“It’s something that would always bring us together. Like at family parties, we’d make a pot of coffee,” Mercurio said.
That sense of connection shaped how they approached their business, especially when developing their menu. While many mobile coffee vendors focus primarily on specialty drinks, Mercurio and Dawkins wanted to strike a balance between creativity and accessibility.
“We like that we offer a full menu… we can offer a cappuccino or just regular coffee, as well as a sweet treat,” Dawkins said.
To get there, they spent months experimenting with flavors while simultaneously building their trailer, testing combinations and refining recipes along the way.
The pair highlighted that the trailer itself is completely custom built, one of the most distinctive aspects of Cousin’s Coffee Corner.
After obtaining the used trailer in 2025, the cousins — with help from family and friends — handled nearly every aspect of the transformation, from sanding and painting to designing the layout.
They chose every detail that went into it, Dawkins said.
“We were fully in control of everything that was put into this trailer,” Mercurio said.
The process also included navigating the logistical side of opening a business: installing plumbing and electrical systems, preparing for health inspections, sourcing supplies and building their brand.
When opening day arrived, their expectations were exceeded.
The cousins said they anticipated a handful of friends and family stopping by. Instead, they were met with a steady stream of customers, consisting of both familiar faces and strangers.
“One person came up. We blinked, and then there were so many people,” Mercurio said.
As first-time business owners, the two are still refining their workflow and applying what they learned on opening day as they adjust to the pace of operating a mobile café.
Cousin’s Coffee Corner is already booking appearances at local events, including the Somers Point Farmers Market every other Saturday starting May 23 and Bayfest on April 25.
For two cousins who once joked about owning a business together, that dream is now parked on wheels.
