Sabine Farer-Buers pours her heart into SaBeans Coffee – brewing joy, one cup at a time
By Rebecca Savidge | Photography by John Michael Simpson
The passion and joy Sabine Farer-Buers brings to work is palpable. She opened SaBeans Coffee, a roadside coffee cart located off U.S. Hwy. 15 501 N., in December 2024, and it’s quickly become a morning ritual for commuters and coffee lovers. What started with a handful of loyal regulars has grown into a bustling stop with picnic tables set up for customers to use on busy days.
Sabine’s worked in the coffee industry for about nine years, starting as a manager at Breakaway Cafe when it first opened in 2016 and later building out the coffee bar addition at The Purple Bowl on Franklin Street. But her love of serving people stretches back further. She worked as a nurse in Europe – she’s originally from Germany – before moving to the United States 18 years ago. When her degree didn’t transfer, she cycled through several other jobs including clinical trials, pharmaceutical work and integrated health coaching, but the work often left her feeling frustrated. That led her to Breakaway, where she worked for several years before transitioning to The Purple Bowl, where she started to imagine what it would be like to be her own boss.
The final push came after a serious case of COVID-19. Sabine realized she couldn’t wait any longer to chase her dream. She looked for a location south of Southern Village and north of Briar Chapel, noticing that stretch of 15-501 could use a quality coffee option. “I just knew there would be demand for it,” she says. After talking with the owner of Captain John’s Dockside, she set up her little flower-painted cart in front of the restaurant.
Most days, Sabine handles the cart herself, but occasionally she’ll have friends or her daughter, UNC sophomore Lya Farer, pitch in to help. Sabine committed to keeping the cart open on a daily basis for at least its first full year, so that her customers could reliably count on her. “I didn’t want anyone to have to look up when I was open,” she says. “I want them to know that, every day, it’s the same thing.” The shop’s current hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The schedule can certainly be tough, but Sabine’s philosophy with her business is not to stress, no matter what. She implements this mantra every day, greeting each customer with positivity.
Lya says she appreciates the effort her mom poured into this dream and jumps in to help whenever she can. “All the customers are so nice and know me now,” Lya says. “It’s very personal, like a little community.”
Favorites like the cinnamon roll latte and cookie butter latte keep customers coming back, along with rotating seasonal drinks. For now, Sabine hopes to stay right where she is, nurturing the warm, welcoming atmosphere that defines SaBeans. Her infectious smile alone has become part of the cart’s charm, and customers continue to return time and again to add a bit more brightness to their day – spreading that connection and joy is most important to Sabine. “I like to be able to give them that,” she says.
