Dangling in the air above lush vegetation and jagged crags is just one place you might spot Mecca Bar Co. Their sleek rental gondola—equipped with a tap tower, plumbing, and electricity– was designed by owner Sarah O’Donnell and crafted by a team of women in Colorado. Its purpose: bring crafted drinks to wherever adventure takes one. Although you won’t always find the gondolas at other events, you will spot a cute mobile bar— most of them also designed by O’Donnell.
But years before mountainsides, weddings, and farmer’s markets, Mecca Bar Co. was born during the COVID-19 Pandemic. O’Donnell had always loved crafting drinks for friends and family, describing herself as a “home barista”. Lockdown only served to further her understanding of the world of mixology. Ultimately, an Instagram post would serve for the inspiration on how to utilize her skill in creating and connecting. O’Donnell recalls the video, “They had this really cute truck…The mixologist handed out a margarita and a latte at the same time and I said that’s what I wanna do.”
From there, she simply had to figure out how to get her creations out into the world, “I started out by just getting my name out on The Knot.” The Knot–a popular wedding planning website– wasn’t always ideal for a company keen on quality craft, however “People often don’t want to pay our prices who are maybe DIYing their wedding.” For the fledgling company however, getting their foot in the door was necessary for moving into larger venues. Mecca Bar Co. was “building that reputation of being a reputable bar company that is going to protect venues, protect clients, and follow all of Utah’s funny little laws.” O’Donnell explains.
These days, Mecca Bar Co. is doing more than just getting their foot in the door. Nearly every weekend they get to cater weddings, and can also be found at festivals like the Utah Arts Festival, off the grid bike races, and now, Wheeler Farmer’s Market. The latter, O’Donnell says, is “the only place you can really find us in the wild.” As for their gondolas, theirs are the only mobile gondolas that do events in Utah. “We can take them up the mountain, we’ve had a snowcat drag them across Deer Valley”. If mountainsides, weddings, or farmer’s markets aren’t your forte, worry not, as Mecca Bar Co. is opening a cafe in the Industry Coworking Space in August. It will be open to the public, “at least Monday through Friday”.
In spite of their growth as a company, their mission remains the same: create unique and fresh beverage experiences for the adventurous spirit. “It’s a core value of ours to do everything in house that we possibly can.” For O’Donnell and her company, this means not only making in-house syrup flavors you won’t find elsewhere, but also fresh-pressing. She adds, “We’re one of the only bar companies in the state of Utah to actually fresh press lemons and limes for drinks.”
What Mecca Bar Co. can’t craft in-house, they source locally. One example of this is their coffee beans, which are from Blue Copper Coffee. Blue Copper Coffee is a local Salt Lake roastery that roasts ethically-sourced beans in the Salt Lake Valley. When asked about the importance of keeping it local, O’Donnell says, “The more that our community can come together and support each other, I think that’s beautiful.”
