A Live Goat Is the Star of This Austin Coffee Shop

Civil Goat Coffee Co. is a small batch coffee roaster and cafe out near Bee Cave with a special mascot: Butters the pygmy goat. He can often be found in the cafe when founder and owner Chris O’Brien is there.

“He can be awesome at times, and a royal pain at others,” O’Brien said of his pet, “but he’s a goat so I’ve come to accept it.” The owner always liked goats, so he thought it would make sense to have one as a pet. “We’ve pretty much raised him as a dog, which he’s somewhat acclimated to.”

O’Brien got into self-roasting in 2010, and started his own small operation. He offered roasted beans and cold brew through farmers market stands, followed by his own shop and roastery in late 2016. Civil’s coffee beans are sourced from around the world, from countries like Ethiopia to Rwanda to Nicaragua to Brazil.

The cafe offers up traditional espresso drinks, cold nitro coffee (available in to-go bottles, too), as well as hot tea and hot chocolate. Eventually, Civil will serve its own flavored syrups for more beverage options. For food, there are pastries from bakery Baguette et Chocolat. O’Brien is also working on something for weekend brunch.

Civil’s name comes from coffee book The Devil's Cup, written by Stewart Lee Allen. The author wrote about a story of how humans discovered coffee because of goats. It is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends.

• Civil Goat Coffee [Official]
• Civil Goat Coffee [Facebook]
• Civil Goat Coffee [Twitter]
• Civil Goat Coffee [Instagram]
• Butters the Goat [Instagram]