Meet Brianna Enriquez, Anthony and Kalila Aragon of Coldwater Coffeehouse and Bakery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nubia Melek, David Martinez, Jhonathan Flores, Brianna Enriquez, and Anthony and Kalila Aragon.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our business started out of a desire to uplift our community. Anthony had an idea about starting a cooperative and as he talked to his friends, a clearer vision started to form.

One friend wanted to be a baker, another wanted to work with coffee. The next wanted to be a farmer. His wife loves to make pastries and finally, another friend came looking for a way to practice environmental sustainability and put her business degree to work. These six came together to form the Coldwater Cooperative, Nubia Melek, David Martinez, and Jhonny Flores.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our journey has been anything but smooth. A business with six equal owners is not something financial lenders are familiar with nor comfortable with so acquiring funds has been an ongoing challenge. We also decided that we wanted to do our business out of a local historic building which was nowhere near ready for the burden of running an espresso machine, grill, oven and all of the other little things that go into a cafe. Of course, there are also occasional conflicts but we have been able to overcome these quite quickly since working together is such a core principle of our business.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Coldwater Coffeehouse and Bakery – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We see our products as a way to elevate local food expectations. A lot of people in our neighborhood see artisan bread and organic vegetables as “fancy” and not for them. We believe that our neighbors are more than worthy of delicious food that is good for them and their families. We are very proud to have a small organic farm behind the building where we grow all of the salad essentials. On the bakery end, we are best known for our sourdough and brioche bread and various deceivingly delicious pastries. Of course, we also pride ourselves in great tasting, always perfectly brewed coffee.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our business is designed to help entrepreneurs grow into having their own business. Eventually, our plan is to grow the different departments into five individual businesses that support each other when needed: a cafe, a bakery, a patisserie, a restaurant, and a zero-waste grocery store for the farm crops. Over time, we would also like to welcome more motivated local people to join our co-op, learn about business and start a business of their own.

Pricing:

• All of our products are $5 or less

Contact Info:

• Address: 127 E Western Ave
• Website: Www.coldwater.coop
• Phone: 4804302619
• Email: info@coldwater.coop
• Instagram: @thecoldwater
• Facebook: M.facebook.com/thecoldwater/

Image Credit:
Brianna Enriquez

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