Log In


Reset Password
News Education Local News Nation & World New Mexico

Coffee, homemade pastries = success?

Shops bake their own goods to establish personality

The new soft cinnamon-raisin scone at Steaming Bean Coffee Co. and the gluten-free brownies at 81301 Coffee Inc. characterize the self-sufficiency of two local promoters of the caffeine culture.

While coffee shops and convenience stores often rely on local bakeries or the packaged pastries of national chains, the Steaming Bean and 81301 bake all their java accompaniments in-house. Neither relies even minimally on wholesalers.

The new owner of the Steaming Bean and the year-old 81301 Coffee Inc. could be setting a trend. But it’s a competitive business – tough to succeed without a way to build a loyal customer base.

Hoover’s Inc., a Dun & Bradstreet business research arm, calls the coffee shop industry a very competitive landscape. The top 50 companies in the United States make 70 percent of the sales.

But small coffee shops, Hoover’s says, can make a go of it with specialized products. Think one-of-a-kind pastries or the coffee that 81301 roasts on-site.

This independence, the two local owners say, allows them to experiment with new ingredients, new shapes and new tastes.

The Steaming Bean hired a baker; at the 81301 Coffee Inc., owners Sage and Taylor Anderson trained their four employees to produce their signature goodies from scratch.

Both coffee shops have commercial kitchens, which must meet safety, health and sanitation standards set by state or local authorities when food is sold to the public.

“The Steaming Bean had a commercial kitchen when I bought the business (in July), but it wasn’t fully utilized,” Erica Fendley said. “So it made sense to use it for pastries as well as for breakfast burritos and soups.”

Finding baker Sophia Montiel, who, between a Tucson, Arizona, restaurant and a Pagosa Springs summer camp, has five years of cooking experience, was a stroke of luck, Fendley said.

“She’s creative, passionate about the work, and has a personal flair,” Fendley said. “I want to be proud of what we put out, so I give her creative control.”

Doing the baking in-house proved economically advantageous also, Fendley said. The savings accrued from switching to a do-it-yourself operation allowed her to improve salaries and lower the price of baked goods, Fendley said.

81301, which opened in January 2014 at 3101 Main Ave., has done its own prepping and baking from the beginning.

An array of “paleo” baked goods was the goal from the start, Taylor Anderson said. He and his wife wanted to sell healthful baked goods, he said.

Almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar and butter from grass-fed cow milk are basic ingredients.

“Only our cinnamon rolls aren’t gluten-free,” Anderson said. “We decided to do one thing the old-fashioned way.”

The truth be told, Anderson said, baked goods are a sideline to 81301’s coffee roasting.

“It was always our goal to roast coffee because Sage grew up in the business,” Anderson said. “Her family operated a coffee shop and roastery in Winter Park.”

The Andersons trained their four employees – Max Thilen, Boone Flynn, Stephanie Walker and Jake Savage – to prep and bake.

Montiel, the baker at the Steaming Bean, 915 Main Ave., gathered some insights about baking by observing a veteran baker in Tucson. But she is largely self-taught.

“I learn by trial and error,” said Montiel, who has concocted 53 tempting items that rotate through the display case.

Fendley likes what she sees there, but she leaves the baked-goods creativity to others.

“I don’t try to micro-manage,” she said.

daler@durangoherald.com



Reader Comments