Baba Java’s Partnership with The Copper Train
Coffee is the heart and soul of our business here at Baba Java Coffee. After all, coffee is quite literally a part of our name. But we all know that too much coffee and not enough food can leave you feeling rough. We’ve all had a case of the “espresso shakes” before. Why not suppress the shakes with a delicious pastry pairing? But where should such a pastry come from?
At Baba Java, we are passionate about supporting local businesses and maintaining high-quality partnerships with like-minded pursuers of excellence, like The Copper Train.
Learn more about Baba Java’s partnerships by tuning into our CoffeeU Podcast.
Baba Java’s Search For Local Pastries
The term “support local” has become a popular slogan gaining headway after the Covid-19 outbreak. Awareness surrounding local businesses grew, and we are ever thankful for it. Because we are a local shop, we see the immense value in supporting other local shops and cafés. We could get food from anywhere, but we believe buying locally directly impacts our community and supports the minds and people behind the purchase. Local partnerships are the lifeblood of what we do here at Baba Java Coffee. With our need for good pastries and love for local businesses, we found The Copper Train, or rather, The Copper Train found us.
The Founding of Our Partnership with The Copper Train
Partnerships with local businesses can look different with various shops. Our outsourcing partnerships can range from selling our coffee beans for them to use as espresso to selling retail coffee and all the in-between. For The Copper Train, a small local café in Alabaster, our partnership began as solely selling them our espresso beans before their opening. As the best partnerships begin, friendship is the spark of it all. Dakota Stone, the owner of The Copper Train, has been one of our long-term customers and was actually present at our grand opening. We got to know her by buying kitchen equipment from her husband, but little did we know; that was only the beginning. Dakota soon found that her association with Baba Java would be lifelong (or so we hope).
How The Copper Train Started
Dakota had dreamed of starting her own café ever since she was a child. She tells stories of how she would create recipes and concoctions with her parents growing up. This largely sparked her desire to pursue culinary arts as a career. She continued her pursuit of culinary arts through high school and into college. Having graduated from culinary school and working in various restaurants, Dakota finally had the chance to open her own café in September of 2021. Because of her love of breakfast food and brunch and having developed a love for baking in school, Dakota decided to centralize her shop around those food types. And what better addition to pastries than coffee?
Understanding and Learning From Each Other
Dakota Stone came to us with the idea of a partnership in 2020, and we jumped on the idea. Because we are so passionate about good coffee and its excellence in all capacities, one of our main goals in partnership is ensuring that the coffee being used is the same quality in all locations. Here at Baba Java, we are huge ambassadors for education, and we really want our partners to see the value of specialty coffee. For months, Dakota not only became a partner but a part of the family as she began to foster her barista skills. She trained with us in understanding the complexities of coffee and the challenges of dialing in espresso and experienced the behind-the-bar flow.
Through this experience, we equally learned from each other. She influenced our understanding of pastries so much that we decided that her expertise was a must. It started with just a few pastries but has blossomed into The Copper Train being the majority provider of our food selection and coffee pairings. It truly is the best of both worlds. We get to provide excellent coffee to The Copper Train and, in return, have wonderful pastries to serve alongside at our shop. Some of our best-selling items are derived from her talents, and it has been a joy to learn from each other in this partnership.
Pair A Copper Train Pastry With Your Next Coffee
Partnerships with local shops are so vital to our functioning, and The Copper Train has been one of the most pivotal of them all. Dakota has not only taught us and supplied us with amazing food items but has also become such a trusted friend and business partner. So next time you have a cup of drip, grab one of her orange rolls as well. You will not be disappointed. And you will probably be less likely to get the espresso shakes.
Learn more about our favorite coffee pairings!