Common Tides Serves Coffee in an Uncommon Way
Common Tides
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Common Tides 〰️
Per capita, Wilmington ranks second (only behind Asheville) in the state of North Carolina for number of coffee shops. The coffee industry has steamed its way into the Port City - with nearly 100 shops calling this place home.
These days, coffee and Wilmington are as synonymous as tattoos and Barbary Coast. I mean can you really say you experienced Wilmington to the fullest if you didn’t explore the city with a coffee in hand at all times?
And while the matrimony between this city and magic beans isn’t anything new, through the creation of Common Tides Coffee, owner Zack Bennett brings a fresh approach to one of Wilmington’s most popular industries.
Growing up in Cary, North Carolina - Zack Bennett developed his love for the outdoors and the environment at an early age. Working his way up through the Boy Scouts, Zack achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout at 17 years old.
Fast forward to 2018-2021 and Zack would find himself ingrained in another one of Wilmington’s well-known industries - craft beer. He worked at Flying Machine as a taproom manager for 3 years, building relationships and connections with those within the community.
After years of frequenting coffee shops in Wilmington himself, Zack noticed a trend. Each coffee shop offered its own sense of community - baristas to have conversation with, atmosphere to enjoy, and specialty coffee to sip on.
And while the coffee itself was the draw, he recognized it was that sense of community that kept people coming back for more, with each part of Wilmington boasting their own version of this shared space.
Zack pours up a shot of espresso inside the mobile coffee trailer.
Originally, Zack wanted to create this space himself - a brick-and-mortar coffee shop where he could serve high quality, environmentally conscious coffee to the local community.
But after further thought, he realized, “Why can’t I bring that sense of community to anywhere in the Cape Fear region, at any time?” And thus, the concept of the coffee trailer was decided on.
“I wanted to take all of the things from the coffee shops I liked going to in Wilmington, and package it into a mobile setting.”
Securing and rebuilding the trailer was a process that started in Argentina, where an empty shell of the trailer was fabricated. From there, the trailer was shipped through Miami, FL to Fayetteville, NC where Zack would pick it up and bring it to Wilmington in November of 2025. From there, a three-month buildout of the interior and exterior would begin.
The final piece (an espresso machine from Italy) arrived in February 2026, and the Common Tides Coffee trailer was ready to serve its maiden beverage.
The Salted Caramel Latte, a fan favorite at Common Tides.
Following a soft opening at his house with friends and family, Zack held his first official Common Tides event at Amplify Gym in Porters Neck. Many of the first events were based around connections he had made in his eight years living and working in Wilmington; something he feels was crucial to nail down before opening up for the first time.
“I waited to do this until I knew enough people in town to make this successful. The connections I made have led to booking events at many of the locations I have served.”
Being a resident in a coastal town, Zack felt he had a responsibility to not only serve a product that was of the highest quality, but also in a way that is environmentally conscious.
As the first and only battery-powered coffee trailer in Wilmington, you won’t hear a noisy generator or smell gas when you approach the truck. You’ll only smell the espresso and hear the familiar sounds of a proper coffee shop.
Common Tides has quickly made a name for itself across the entire Cape Fear Region. Using strictly compostable cups and partnering with the Wilmington Compost Company, securing the highest quality water from Tidal Creek Co-op, and sourcing matcha directly from a farmer in Japan, are just a few of the ways Zack aims to serve a high quality product, in a way that respects our coastal environment.
In the future, Zack plans to hopefully add solar panels to the trailer as well, so the trailer can function entirely off solar power.
Because of this, Common Tides Coffee is a certified Ocean Friendly Establishment by the Plastic Ocean Project.
“For a business that lives on the Cape Fear Coast, that certification is personal: it means running the trailer in a way that cuts down on single-use plastic and protects the beaches and waterways I park beside every week.”
Common Tides has also pledged itself to using ingredients sourced locally. The honey is from Free Bees Apiary, coffee beans are sourced from a local roaster, and even the salt is sourced by Sea Love Sea Salt locally in Wrightsville Beach.
Salt secured directly from Wrightsville Beach is used in the salted beverages on the menu.
For Zack - the Common Tides mission remains simple: serve consistently fresh coffee, using local ingredients, in a way that puts our environment first.
Be sure to stay up to date with all of Common Tides’ updates by following along on Instagram, find out where the truck will be next on the tracker, and check out the main website.