Coffee Shop Success Story: Cadence Coffee House & Creperie Opens

We’re excited to welcome Cadence Coffee House & Creperie in Niles, Ohio!

Now open at 31 North Main Street, the nonprofit breakfast and brunch restaurant entices guests with exceptional coffee, teas, crepes, sandwiches, salads and more in a relaxing atmosphere.

Their purchases also fund programs provided by Cadence Care Network, a nonprofit organization providing behavioral health services and foster care to over 2,500 vulnerable children and adolescents in Northeast Ohio.

Cadence Care Network CEO Matt Kresic and Cadence Coffee House & Creperie Manager Tania Romero learned how to open a coffee shop in Ohio through our 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program.

“We’re excited to welcome Matt, Tania and their team to the Crimson Cup community,” said Founder and President Greg Ubert. “We look forward to helping their business grow as it serves Northeastern Ohio youth and the broader community.”

Coffee Shop Provides Jobs and Training for Area Youth

Matt said one goal of the new enterprise is to provide life skills and job training to the young people it serves.

“We want to give them an opportunity to develop job skills by working here, putting them on a path to a career,” he said.

Having run Cadence Care Network for 29 years as a social worker and administrator, Matt sought to set up a social enterprise for vulnerable area youth that would provide an outlet for their creativity while giving them work experience.

After purchasing a two-story yellow brick building that had once been a beverage company, he considered a variety of social enterprises, finally settling on the coffee shop and creperie.

“I love coffee shop culture,” he said. “I used to go to a little hippy joint up in Kent when I was 17 and loved the accepting culture of coffee houses.”

Following the 7 Steps to Success

A Google search brought Matt to Crimson Cup and our 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program.

The program is based on Greg’s book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-Sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee.

“I started with the book,” Matt recalled. “It seemed worth it to make the small investment to check out the product and philosophy.”

After reading the book, he talked to 7 Steps Sales Leader Scott Fullerton and visited Corner Cup Coffee in Stow, Ohio, which was then owned by Customer Growth Rep Heather Syx.

Scott Fullerton helped Matt understand how much does it cost to open a coffee shop. From there, our 7 Steps coffee shop startup consultants guided Matt, Tania and their team through every step, from writing a solid coffee shop business plan to laying out the shop, sourcing equipment, training baristas and more.

“Fantastic” Hands-on Training

Of the Seven Steps, Matt said he found Step Two: Focus on Efficiency Of Equipment Layout, Step Five: Focus on Training and Step Four: Focus on The Marketing especially helpful.

The week before the restaurant’s June 10 soft opening, 7 Steps Project Manager and Trainer Steve Bayless traveled to Niles to train the new baristas and managers.

“The week with Steve was fantastic,” Matt said. “Don’t think we would have pulled it off without Crimson Cup.”

“Tania has barista experience, but she’s learned quite a bit. It’s all good stuff.”

Proceeds from the cafe support the mission of Cadence Care Network, with at least 10 students working and making coffee, crepes and other food items.

“We’re exposing kids to great coffee,” Kresic said. “We’ll also be holding more events in the space to highlight mental health issues in the community!”

Reviewers Say Coffee is Outstanding

The coffee, roasted by Crimson Cup, has won a warm welcome from local coffee lovers. The roaster’s exceptional craft and specialty have earned top honors at the Good Food Awards, Golden Bean North America, Roast magazine’s Roaster of the Year and other competitions.

“Awesome experience!!! Coffee was outstanding. Full custom roasted beans,” wrote one Facebook reviewer. “Great cause and couldn’t be a more positive work environment for the young adults working at the Coffee Shop/Creperie.”

Visit Cadence Coffee House & Creperie!

Alex invited everyone in Niles and Northeast Ohio to visit Cadence Coffee House & Creperie. The shop is in historic downtown Niles, directly across the street from the President McKinley Memorial Library, at 31 North Main Street.

“We’re ready! Come on in and see what we do with the kids we work with,” he said.

To keep up with events and announcements, including new menu items and the July 19 grand opening celebrations, follow the store’s Facebook Page.