Coffee shop owners celebrate tastes, styles of home

Coffee lovers who visit Church St. Brewing Co. in Canton will experience the taste of coffee from owner Denis Toomey’s native Costa Rica as well as a décor in the coffee shop that incorporates natural woods from Martha’s Vineyard, where he grew up. Toomey and his business partner, Amanda Bonanca, created Church St. Brewing Co. four years ago. They opened at 28 Draper Lane two months ago, offering their brewed coffee along with baked goods from local businesses.

Denis Toomey and Amanda Bonanca, co-owners of Church St. Brewing Co. in Canton

The name of the business is a nod to the street in Martha’s Vineyard where Toomey grew up. In 2015, he and Bonanca began to sell nitro cold-brewed coffee at CrossFit competitions, later expanding to restaurants and other gyms. “We have one very special coffee,” Toomey said.

Toomey and Bonanca import coffee that is grown on a small farm (micro lot) in Costa Rica. The farm has an export permit that allows their coffee to be sold in the United States only to Church St. in addition to other Central American countries and South America. In the United States, Church St. functioned as a pop-up store and event business and then began to sell taps of their coffee. “We started taps all over New England,” Toomey said.

They create flavored coffees by adding natural ingredients, such as cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans and pods, and letting the flavors steep for several hours. They also use pumpkin spice and a mocha blend to create other flavors.

“All these things make our coffee delicious,” Toomey said. “Subtle without being overwhelming.”

Toomey and Bonanca had about 50 wholesale accounts when they decided it was time to make an investment and open their own coffee shop. “It’s always been a dream of ours,” he said.

They looked for a location that was equidistant between Providence and Boston and found the space at Draper Lane. “We thought it was a primo location, a safe neighborhood,” Toomey said.

They signed a lease two years ago, and while the process to get the shop ready and to open took longer than expected, eventually they were ready. They had always done their own canning of brewed coffee and bought a canning machine for their business.

Last spring, when COVID-19 forced owners to close their coffee shops or to sell their product through a takeout window, Bonanca suggested that they brew their coffee, can it, and sell it out of their open garage door. They set up a list of their coffee flavors outside and started taking orders, delivering their coffee to waiting customers.

Two months ago, Church St. Brewing Co. opened for full service. Customers to the 3,200-square-foot shop will find an open and airy space where they can watch coffee being brewed at the bar or sit at a table and enjoy a can of cold-brewed coffee with friends. Coffees are available both cold and hot.

“The concrete floors we have are the same floors that existed when the textile equipment was here,” Toomey said of the building where the Draper family and their employees worked. “We really wanted to keep the history. I’m sure that people from Canton can understand that.”

The whiteness of the floor is complemented by a stone-topped bright blue bar in the middle of the shop and a red espresso machine. Slabs of red oak and dark walnut from Martha’s Vineyard have been incorporated at the entrance to the shop and along the back. “I want to have a piece of home with me,” Toomey said.

A painter depicted an octopus, a deep-sea diver, a treasure chest, and golden cans in a mural over the walk-in cooler. “He wanted to do a take on Atlantis,” Toomey said, adding that the golden cans represent the coffee that is keeping them afloat. The shop is both family-oriented and comfortable for friends to come in and share coffee and baked goods or for individuals to use the space to work remotely.

Church St. Brewing Co. has a food permit and serves croissants, pop tarts, apple turnovers, cookies and muffins. In addition to their signature coffee, they serve chocolate milk, apple cider, tea, and decaffeinated coffee. On the weekends, bagels from Spot in Norwood, pita bread from Sharonna’s Magically Baked Goods in Canton, and French-style waffles from The Burgundian in Attleboro are available on a rotating basis. PVDonuts will serve their brioche-style donuts on a monthly or bimonthly basis, with exact dates to be posted.

Toomey and Bonanca recently started piloting a pre-ordered delivery service for Canton. Details are available at churchstbrewing.com.

“We really want to connect with our community,” Toomey said.

Church St. Brewing Co. is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon. Call 781-922-9155 for more information.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=70195

Posted by Mary Ann Price on Oct 2 2020. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.