| Kitsap coffee connoisseurs who love a good cup of coffee can look forward to some new choices for feeling good about their habit: Several local cafés are going organic. Two new diner-cafés were getting ready to open by January, one in Bremerton and one in Poulsbo, which will be serving exclusively organic, shade-grown coffee - brew that lacks harsh chemicals and growing methods, making them not only good for that java kick but also for the environment. A drive-through coffee shop in Poulsbo was also getting ready to go organic. All three are using Poulsbo-based organic coffee roaster Grounds for Change owned by Stacy and Kelsey Marshall.
“We wanted something unique that nobody in our neck of the woods is doing,” said Heidi Yoxsim, co-owner with husband Lowell of Hi-Low's 15th Street Café in Bremerton that was planning to open by the beginning of January at the corner of 15th and Wycoff. “We chose them as a coffee supplier because we wanted to go local. Them being organic is a bonus.”
The idea for the restaurant, which will serve breakfast, dinner and lunch, is to be a diner within walking distance in the neighborhood. “We just wanted to provide a good neighborhood spot, good room, coffee and conversation,” she said.
Yoxsim said she was surprised to learn how affordable was to buy the organic grounds.
Scott Claflin, co-owner with Angus McDonald of the Twelve Trees Café off State Route 3 in Poulsbo, expressed a similar sentiment, and said they will maintain competitive coffee prices even with buying organic beans - which they described as affordable. The café, slated to open also by the beginning of the year, at first will serve only brewed coffee but the plan calls for adding espresso later on. The café will serve breakfast and lunch and may add dinner later.
“We always want to support local businesses, and we decided (Grounds for Change) was a good fit,” Claflin said. The diner will also use organic greens when possible and buy produce from local farms.
The two partners worked together before at a restaurant and decided to open a catering business. As they looked for a kitchen for catering, they found the location in the Twelve Trees Industrial Park that previously housed another restaurant, and decided to expand their idea. They plan to provide catering as well.
Grounds for Change sells to a large number of coffee shops and cafés across the country but this is the first time they will supply beans to local restaurants. “We are excited about it. It's really fun to be working with local cafés,” owner Stacy Marshall said. The company also sells coffee retail via its Website and at two North Kitsap grocery stores. | 