Sightseer was started in 2022 by Kimberly Zash and Sara Gibson, two coffee industry veterans who built the business around a single sourcing rule: every bean comes from a woman-owned or women-run farm or mill, from Ethiopia to Colombia to Brazil. The idea grew out of what they saw as a stubborn gap in coffee — women make up much of the labor in the fields but rarely hold ownership or decision-making power further up the chain.
The South 1st location in Bouldin Creek, right next door to Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, is the retail arm of that roasting operation. It pours espresso, pour-over, and cold brew, plus seasonal drinks and house-made syrups, alongside bagged beans like the Ethiopia-sourced Space Cowboy and the Nicaragua-sourced Killer Queen, all roasted in Austin.
Sightseer has built a following as a neighborhood spot people seek out — regulars point to the quality of the beans, the friendly service, and the sense of having found something under the radar.
The South 1st location in Bouldin Creek, right next door to Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, is the retail arm of that roasting operation. It pours espresso, pour-over, and cold brew, plus seasonal drinks and house-made syrups, alongside bagged beans like the Ethiopia-sourced Space Cowboy and the Nicaragua-sourced Killer Queen, all roasted in Austin.
Sightseer has built a following as a neighborhood spot people seek out — regulars point to the quality of the beans, the friendly service, and the sense of having found something under the radar.