YOU’RE late. Traffic backed up by the Trincity lights. There’s no time to stop for coffee, and no drive-through nearby. But just as you’re bracing for a caffeine-less commute, a man with a backpack walks up to your window.
“Morning boss, want a cup?”
That’s Theon Morales. And yes, the coffee is hot.
The 38-year-old Arouca-born entrepreneur has launched a new hustle for hard times, and his business is going viral. Morales roams the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway near the Trincity Mall traffic lights, serving fresh black coffee to drivers from a custom-made thermos backpack. The name of his venture: Brews on D’ Road.
Hot coffee on the go: Theon Morales of Brews on D’ Road.
How it all began
Morales got the idea while chauffeuring radio announcer Rodney “Fireball” King one morning.
“He said, ‘Boy, T, I feeling for a coffee on the road in traffic.’ And I said, listen, that sound like a good idea, you know,” Morales recalled.
Not long after, the idea resurfaced during a recent trip to Venezuela, where Morales saw coffee being sold roadside in Caracas.
“While driving, I saw a young man with a little, not a backpack so advanced as mine, but something in his hand like a bag to pour coffee in. And he had cups at his side and everything. And it clicked.”
That spark lit the flame.
“I prayed about it. I researched, and finally found something in Germany that they were trying. That’s when I knew what to build.”
Brewing with purpose
The system Morales designed holds up to 19 litres of liquid. It works similarly to popular vacuum-sealed drinkware, keeping heat locked in for up to three hours. The pressure inside helps dispense the coffee cleanly through a hose into each cup.
This isn’t some makeshift pavement hustle. Morales takes presentation seriously. Each $20 serving includes black coffee, creamer, sugar, a stirrer, and a fitted lid. Cups are carefully stacked in a special holder on his custom backpack.
“Yes, it’s convenient, but I want to make it more premium,” he explained.
His attention to detail hasn’t gone unnoticed. A video of him serving a driver at the traffic light went viral this week.
“The customer asked, ‘Is it possible I could tape you?’ Because he found it very innovative. He said the service was good. He wanted to show Trinidad people that there is still a type of innovation, that somebody could step out of their comfort zone and do something like this.”
A cup of courage
Morales only started the venture on Monday and says he has been increasing his sales daily.
“Monday I carried out 50 cups, but I only sold 22 because people weren’t sure what it was. Tuesday I sold out. I had 30 cups. Wednesday, I sold out again with 35. So now I’m increasing by five each day,” he said.
The best part of being on the road, he says, is the positive affirmations he keeps getting from the public.
“A police officer came with his bike. I tried to offer him coffee and he said, ‘Good job, keep it up. Excellent.’ Everybody commends me. They say it’s looking good and it’s excellent. So, no bad experiences. Everybody smiling. They are taking pictures.”
The backpack barista says he already has dreams of taking his premium service national and even popping up at events.
“I want to do backpacks all around because I want to create employment. I want to do events. I want to start rentals of backpacks and other things. I want to change the whole system of service—create more convenience in every way,” Morales explained.
His ultimate goal is to introduce a new kind of service model—something he believes reflects a more modern, even global, mindset.
“When you go in China, this kind of service people provide. Where in your car, when you press a button, all these things happen. So it’s creating a new type of movement.”
A warm reminder
More than anything, Morales hopes Brews On D’ Road inspires.
“My message to the youth is: do not be afraid. Step out of your comfort zone. Any idea, any little thing could create a big spark. Block out the noise. Forget what people doing or saying. Focus on your goal.”
He admitted his own nerves nearly held him back: “The first time I was going out, I was afraid. I didn’t know this was gonna happen. I was thinking, what people would think of me? How would I look? Would people scorn me?”
But what he got was the opposite: validation.
“Sometimes we overthink things unnecessarily. And what we’re thinking is not it. Every idea, once executed properly, it will work.”
