Kinder Coffee Lab started in the spring of 2020 as a coffee roaster. They were in the process of trying to open a coffee shop, but the world shut down. So, they did what many businesses had to do, and pivoted. Their business became one that roasted coffee and shipped delicious beans all over the state. No one was going out for coffee at the time, so Kinder brought the coffee to them.
Three friends – Guytano Magno, Taylor Feero, and Ryan Schoepf – are the owners of Kinder Coffee. “I am from Central MN and love living here,” Guy shared, “I went off to college in the cities but shortly after college my wife and I moved back home. This community is great and we love being here.”
“Just last week, they celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening their coffee shop. “We launched the coffee shop on Valentine’s Day, 2022. Being a part of the growing and expanding coffee culture in Central, MN has been so much fun and we are so thankful for all of the support from the town and community we call ‘home’.” Since their opening, they’ve debuted a beautiful mural on the side of their building, an easy-to-access drive-thru, and are always updating their menu with seasonal drinks that come with a fun, small pastry bite that corresponds with the beverage.
“Kinder is different from the other shops in town because we roast our own coffee. That means that we can control the quality of the cup of coffee through every step of the process. We also have a unique visual aesthetic in our store. And plants. Who doesn’t love plants?! I think our staff is really special too. They put the “kind” in Kinder every day.”
The fresh, made-to-perfection from Kinder is the fuel that gets many people through their day – owners included. “I am the Creative Director for an ad agency called Switchboard.mn. We built the coffee shop next to our studio so we can stay close… and drink lots of great coffee all day.”
“The best part about our time running Kinder has been all the incredible people we have gotten to know. Some of our challenges are the same as other businesses face – inflation rates and more – but we want the community to know we’re here. And we’re here to stay. Running a small business makes you keenly aware of how important it is to support and utilize other local businesses as often as you can.”
“You can support Kinder by coming and drinking a cup of coffee … and by letting others know we exist. Every day there is another chain opening up in town. There are other mom-and-pop coffee shops in town we love, and like them, we are so grateful for the continued support. We’d love it if you came and said hello.”
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