Who We Are

Our story begins with each other, Skyler & Alyce, a husband + wife team that opened Queen Cup Coffee in January 2021.

Skyler, born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley, originally started in fire tech & kinesiology then moved to Los Angeles to pursue an education in music & sound production. Skyler + Alyce met while working together as co-workers and friends as he was developing inspiration within the diverse and eclectic city.

Skyler continued on to his career in coffee managing a high-volume cafe in Los Angeles, perfected the talent of serving third-wave coffee and loved sharing his expertise with the fast-paced big city culture.

But most importantly, the long-hair-don't-care & mustache was here to stay.

Alyce, born and raised in LA, grew up dancing and preforming to then spend her professional years in management, behavioral health, and event planning positions before relocating to California's gorgeous Central Coast.

After fine tuning her love for advocacy, with her undergrad in Behavioral Science and Master’s Degree in Human Behavior, she recognized a need for gender equality and resources for LGBTQ+ youth. As a result, Alyce is a founding board member of the local non-profit organization SYV Pride and also an ordained officiant!

While living in LA, Skyler + Alyce got married in 2019 & their love for coffee evolved after visiting coffee shops in cities like Portland, Seattle, Victoria Canada and Brisbane Australia.

While traveling and enjoying other ‘coffee communities’ their passions motivated them to now provide quality coffee, a safe-space and progressively leading as unwavering allies.

All these values & experiences have gone into the vision that is now Queen Cup Coffee.

...to this day, Alyce has never seen Skyler without his mustache or short hair.

Our Feelings.

Queen Cup Coffee represents equality reflected in the integrity of our product. As a 'queen cup' in a bee colony is the foundation of the larger hive, we promise to work hard to serve exceptional cappuccinos, fancyAF options and a welcoming place for all.

… also we have a lot of feelings.

Our love for great coffee & the motivation to share our life experiences with our community, inspired us to create your new favorite coffee shop.

Why We’re Here?

Sometimes we meet people who change you for the better,

these people are called baristas.

Skyler + Alyce live local in Santa Ynez with their daughter Addisynn & two snack-sized dogs. Miss Salty the little white Maltese & Sir Dijon Mustard the mini-mighty black poodle.

When not at the shop, you can find them active in the community serving and supporting Pride, socializing with their incredible staff and friends, and enjoying the amazing food & wine we have here in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Our Focus.

We love our community!

At our original Santa Ynez Location, we have a spectacular symbiotic relationship with our team next door at The Lucky Hen Larder. An open air market with alfresco dining serving exceptional sandwiches, artisan cheeses & exceptional views of the valley. Here you get to chat and chisme with your favorite baristas at our coffee bar and indulge in the homemade fresh Brunch Burritos.

On our store shelves, you will be sure to find Women Owned and Queer supporting merch to rock and represent how to DRINK PROPER COFFEE. Be sure to visit, we're open every day in Santa Ynez, 7am - 3pm.

In Los Alamos, we have the cutest airstream where the Caravan comes to life! With Queen Cup Coffee in this classic small town, here you can enjoy our outdoor coffee shop Thursdays - Sundays starting at 8am.

Come by, say hi, share some chisme,

you know where to find us.

xo,

Skyler + Alyce Barrick