Meet the Småstad Family
Victor Hodgson
Founder & Coffee Roaster
Victor is something of a coffee legacy. After his father, Peter, opened Barking Dog Roasters in 1995, Victor quickly came to love everything about coffee. He started working behind the bar in high school and continued working at the family shop as its roaster and Director of Operations all the way through 2024. He is thrilled to finally have the chance to bring a bit of Sweden to his hometown and continue bringing delicious coffee to all of Sonoma Valley.
Favorite espresso drink: Gibraltar (aka Cortado)
Favorite Småstad pastry: Cardamom Bun
Favorite place in Sweden: Drop Coffee in Stockholm. Not only is it his favorite coffee roaster in Sweden, but the cafe also provided Victor with inspiration for his cafe in Sonoma.
Sarah Brown
Sarah met Victor in 2017 while she was working a cellar internship at a winery in the neighboring Napa Valley. She helped Victor at the Barking Dog throughout the years and is very excited to be more hands on with Småstad as the lead for marketing and wholesale. Sarah writes for a local wine magazine during the week, but she can be spotted at the shop on weekends.
Favorite espresso drink: Flat White with just a bit of our housemade vanilla syrup
Favorite Småstad pastry: Spinach and feta danish
Favorite place in Sweden: Gamla Stan, or Old Town in English, in Stockholm. The cobblestone streets, the brightly colored buildings, and the historic sites transport you back in time.
Marketing, Social, & Outreach
The Hodgson-Rasmussen Clan
The Hodgson-Rasmussens have been calling Sonoma their home for over thirty five years. In their time here, Peter opened the Barking Dog Roasters, which is where Victor discovered his love of coffee. And Sonja ran The Little School, which, after closing its doors in 2020, has been converted into our beautiful home for Småstad as well as Peak Performance & Posture for her eldest son, Martin.
The whole family has always felt blessed to call Sonoma Valley their home and are thrilled to continue serving this wonderful community through the next generation of small business owners.
You will often find the family coming in for their daily coffee, so make sure to say “Hej!”