Spring Update: Bear Lake Coffee Co. Soft Opens!
I am excited to share all the progress, learning, and growth we have experienced over the past few months here at Bear Lake Coffee Co.!
In this blog post, I'll share updates on upcoming events, as well as news from our roastery, café, and kitchen. There's so much happening, and I'll do my best to cover the key points. We soft-opened on March 28th and are currently operating on Thursdays and Fridays from 7 AM to 1 PM. Starting in May, we plan to expand our hours to include Wednesdays and Saturdays, which means we will be open on May 1st and May 4th😊. The support from our online patrons this past month has been phenomenal. We've shipped coffee to ~40 states in the US and even to Puerto Rico, a US territory! Our neighbors here in Barronett, Wisconsin, and the surrounding towns have also shown tremendous support – it's truly been incredible!
Upcoming Events: Tasting Dinner + Baby Goat Yoga + Farmers Market
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. More details will be shared on social media and our website next month:
- June 8th at 6 PM: Our first Tasting Dinner with Chef Ray (ticketed event)
- June 8th and 15th at 10 AM: Baby Goat Yoga (ticketed event)
- July 5th from 1 PM to 5 PM: Our first Bear Lake Coffee Farmers Market (open to the public)
We will be publishing an official calendar in May, so stay tuned!
Roastery Spotlight: Award-Winning Inaugural Roasts
In March, we updated our coffee packaging to celebrate the origins of the coffee farmers/producers we source from and the place where we hand-roast our award-winning specialty coffee in the heart of the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
We shifted our operations from Atlanta, GA, to Barronett, WI. As of March 28th, all coffee was roasted and shipped from Barronett, with Caleb Walker, our Head of Coffee, at the helm. Our inaugural roasts from our Barronett Roastery have already garnered recognition from Coffee Review, earning awards for our:
- Colombia Campo Hermoso Red Honey Geisha (Score: 95) – award-winning score!
- Ethiopia Sidama Karamo Anaerobic Natural (Score: 94) – exceptional score!
- El Salvador Finca San Antonio Pacas Natural (Score: 93) – exceptional score!
- Midnight Stargazer Espresso Blend (Score: 93) – exceptional score!
Caleb and I attended the SCA Expo 2024 in Chicago, where we sponsored the event and showcased the company at Roaster Village.
It was a proud moment to debut our award-winning coffee and engage with global coffee professionals. We shared insights on the latest coffee trends and discussed how our fourth-wave coffeehouse & roastery is building on the third wave with a stronger focus on sustainability, innovation, and social impact.
Do you want free coffee for life?
Check out our Airscape Canister Refill Program that we just launched [click here].
Make sure to stop by our roastery in Barronett and say hi to Caleb. He has a wealth of knowledge about specialty coffee and can help you take your brewing at home or at work to the next level!
Café Spotlight: Our Store Manager Takes the Helm
Kate Juza, better known as 'Big Kate,' joined us as our store manager in mid-March. She hit the ground running, collaborating with our team and local consultant Todd Brunclik to find and hire new staff, completing initial training with Maxx Dunn, another local consultant, and working with Caleb Walker to prepare for our big soft-opening day. She has been instrumental in operationalizing our café, fostering connections, building community, and assembling a barista team unlike any other in northwest Wisconsin. Please stop by and say hello to our amazing team of baristas: Brittany Juza, Colin Madison, and Nicohlas McMillan! We are hiring more baristas as we expand our opening hours – and we are excited to serve up more happiness one cup at a time – so please see our careers info to apply [click here].
Check out our soft-opening fine beverages menu [click here].
Kitchen Spotlight: Our Farm-to-Table Kitchen Plans Are Moving Forward!
Chef Christopher Ray, an award-winning, USPCA certified chef, joined us as a consultant to get our kitchen ready to serve up a farm-to-table menu in the months ahead. The emphasis will be on locally sourced ingredients, highlighting the value of understanding the origins of your food. Our plan is to complete operational readiness of the kitchen, experiment with menu items, and gather feedback from patrons in the coming months to shape our food menu. We are honored to have Chef Ray's partnership, and we're excited to craft a food experience unlike anything in the Northwoods of Wisconsin!
Check out our soft-opening fine food menu [click here].
Special thanks to everyone who visited and supported our soft opening over the past month!
Last week, as I witnessed people from all walks of life gathering at our coffeehouse in Barronett, it served as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity. We all find purpose in human connection, respect, acknowledgment, hope, and belonging to something greater than ourselves.
We look forward to sharing our award-winning coffee with you, whether it's delivered to your home or business, or we're welcoming you in person to savor a cup or two with us here in Barronett! With your continued support, imagination, and feedback, we will continue to learn and refine our patron experience as we progress through our soft-opening months toward our grand launch celebration (date to be determined).
Wishing you all an amazing month filled with health, hope, and amazing coffee!
Happy brewing!
Sources
- Bear Lake Coffee Company – Bear Lake Coffee Co.
- Barronett, WI | Data USA
- How Coffee Review Works: Coffee Review
- Coffee Review – Colombia Red Honey Geisha Campo Hermoso by Bear Lake Coffee Co.
- Coffee Review – Ethiopia Sidama Karamo Anaerobic Natural by Bear Lake Coffee Co.
- Coffee Review – El Salvador San Antonio Pacas Natural by Bear Lake Coffee Co.
- Coffee Review – Espresso Review – Midnight Stargazer by Bear Lake Coffee Co.
- Roaster Village — Specialty Coffee Expo
- Join Us on the Fourth Wave of Coffee! – Bear Lake Coffee Co.
- April 2024 – Fine Beverages Menu (Soft-Open)
- Certification (uspca.com)
- April 2024 – Fine Food Menu (Soft-Open)
