Looking for a Pensacola beignet spot? New Orleans-based coffee shop is ready to deliver

Pensacola is getting a taste of The Big Easy through Louisiana-based café PJ’s Coffee, that just opened to the public Friday at its 85 W. Airport Blvd. location.

From the French bistro chairs to the smell of the freshly fried, hand-powdered beignets, the coffee shop transports you to the New Orleans’ French Quarter. Co-franchisees Michele and Don Carlton also offer a little bit of small-town Louisiana hospitality.

“I’m a Louisiana girl, so PJ’s is home,” Michele said with her bedazzled French fleur-de-lis symbol necklace strung over her PJ’s T-shirt. “It has always been my dream to open a coffee shop.”

Like other Louisiana natives, Pensacola Beach was the vacation spot her family would drive to when she was a young girl. When she and her husband had the opportunity to open three stores in Pensacola as franchisees, they jumped at it and began the process of making the move. They are still celebrating the milestone of getting their first store open, which stretched into a three-year process, before they start looking for spaces to host the other two locations.

From the sheer number of people that have been peeking in the windows anticipating opening day, the two anticipate that Pensacola is prepared for a place to find the bold cup of coffee that New Orleans is accustomed to.

“Just to bring people together over a really good cup of coffee and just enjoy time together,” Don said of his hopes for the cafe.

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Even though her husband isn’t much of a coffee drinker himself, it wasn’t a hard for sell for Michele to convince him to buy into the company, since he loved that they source their coffee beans in a way that ensured their employees and partners are cared for.

The coffee beans come directly from farms in Honduras and Nicaragua, and through proceeds of the partnership the farmers have been able to invest in things such as improvements to local a church, emergency vehicles for employees who need medical care, improved living quarters and cooking facilities, and environmentally-friendly growing and harvesting practices.

"They're investing in the farm and the farmers in order to get a better product," Don said. "So, it's not just, ‘Hey, we're just gonna go buy a bunch of beans.’ They care about where it comes from. They care about the people there (and are) taking care of the people."

Among the coffee franchise’s claim to fame is the Original Cold Brew that store manager and longtime PJ’s employee Ryan Perrilloux said no other competing coffee shops were brewing at the time. Now, PJ's has mastered the craft even more, with flavored, but unsweetened varieties like Southern Pecan and Praline & Cream.

Among the coffee drinks, which have twice as much espresso per shot as Starbucks, according to Perrilloux, the most popular drink amongst customers is the signature granita, a frozen coffee beverage that comes straight out of the machine like a frozen daquiri.

It can come classic, highlighting the bold coffee flavor, or with sweeter flavors like mocha, caramel, or the limited edition 45th PJ’s birthday cake flavor. Once the birthday flavors disappear at the end of the month, it will be time for the fall flavors to roll in, like all things pumpkin spice.

If you’re not a coffee drinker though, you can still pop in for a drink to take to the beach like the frozen hot chocolate or frozen lemonade.

The shop makes ordering quick with a drive-thru window and mobile order station. Even the shops’ heartier options like the freshly-made egg and cheese croissants and Cuban sandwiches can be hot and ready by the time the customer makes it to the window.

Ultimately, the Carltons are looking forward to becoming part of the Pensacola community.

Follow along the PJ’s Coffee (85 West Airport Blvd, Ste 1, Pensacola, FL) Facebook page for more information.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: PJ's Coffee opens in Pensacola on Airport Boulevard