A Carroll County woman is helping others start their day with a smile, one cup at a time.

Shelly Kappes owns Ruby’s Coffee Coach, a coffee truck serving up lattes, smoothies, energy drinks and more.

Kappes, who also works part time in health care, opened Ruby’s in July 2023.

“I was just looking for a little something extra when I saw the truck was for sale,” Kappes said. “I’ve never even had a latte up until I owned this truck, so it was all new to me.”

She serves throughout the Sauk Valley and up into Carroll County. A quick glance at her Facebook page shows stops in Milledgeville, in Dixon on the OSF Saint Katharine campus and the farmers market at Haymarket Square, the Lake Carroll farmers market, Eastland Elementary School in Shannon, and Pearl City School in Pearl City.

The new venture initially brought mixed reactions from her family.

“I had some family pushing me. ... So, I just went out on a limb,” Kappes said. “My husband thought it was the craziest idea in the world. In the end, I proved him wrong.”

Ruby’s Coffee Coach posts its weekly schedule and location updates on its Facebook page. The truck is a regular fixture at local schools and weekend events, including this weekend’s Shannon homecoming festival and area farmers markets.