Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 7:35 AM EDT Aug 5, 2019
Coffee will never replace beer as the lubricant of choice in the Fox Cities social scene.
But it’s nevertheless hugely popular and a thriving business, judging by the growing number of local coffeehouses.
Three new locally owned coffeehouses are poised to open this month, joining more than a dozen other independent coffeehouses sprinkled around the Fox Cities.
The newcomers
•Koi Coffee & Tea is set to open Saturday at 204 Main St. in downtown Menasha, in the former Your Daily Grind location. One of its big pluses is its placement between Menasha’s office tower and its parking. Koi is owned and operated by Menasha residents Derek and Ashley Lund who’ve been looking for five years for the perfect location. When Your Daily Grind was offered for sale, they knew this was it. They’ll have an order-ahead app, self-order kiosks, Counter Culture Coffee and a menu that includes waffle breakfast sandwiches and bagels made on site. Coming soon: koicoffeeandtea.com, Facebook
•Wildfire Coffeehouse will open mid month at 340 E. Ann St. in Kaukauna, near Piggly Wiggly. The family operation is owned by Steve and Gina Fidlin and is being set up and operated by their sons, Caleb and Noah, and friend Ireland Stafford. The modern/rustic place will serve Terra Verde coffee out of Chilton and have a breakfast/lunch/dinner menu. Proximity to the high school is a plus, said Caleb. Info: wildfirecoffeehouse.com, Facebook, Instagram.
•The Pawffee Shop Cat Café will open in late August at 1745 N. Casaloma Drive in Grand Chute. The dual-sided café has coffee and bakery on one side and a lounge filled with cuddly kitties on the other. Owners Leah Enking and Elizabeth Feldhausen figured the Fox Valley was ready for its first cat cafe. Info: Facebook
Archive: The Buzz: Cat cafe signs lease in Grand Chute
Existing coffee shops
These three join a strong brew of well-established independent coffeehouses including downtown Appleton’s Copper Rock Coffee Co., Lou’s Brew Cafe & Lounge, Acoca Coffee and Brewed Awakenings. Beyond downtown, Appleton has Tempest Coffee Collective on the Fox River and a Copper Rock northside satellite.
Other communities are also well-caffeinated: Little Chute has Seth’s Coffee, Neenah has Timshel Cafe and Shelattes, Kaukauna has Kaukauna Coffee and Tea and Drop Bar Cafe and Grand Chute has All Seasons Coffeehouse. Farther out, find Alley Cat Coffeehouse in Hortonville and Barefoot Gypsies Coffee Bar in Mackville.
(Missed any? Post a comment on this story to update the list.)
Existing coffee shops have held their own even as the big nationals pour in and continue to expand.
Starbucks and Dunkin’, for example, are both adding Menasha locations this fall.
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Local coffeehouses survive largely because their customers have been fiercely loyal.
A prime example is Copper Rock. It opened about the same time as Starbucks in 2003, less than two blocks from each other in downtown Appleton. Co-owner Bill Heiges remembers sweating it out.
“Our parents put their mortgages on the line at the time,” he said. “But Starbucks moved on (to West College Avenue) and we continued to grow. Every year has been an up year for us.”
Contact Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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