Got oat milk? Things are ‘going good’ at this millennial’s Monroe County coffee shop
It’s not often that I make the trek to Maeystown.
My first visit was not quite four years ago, when I went to visit a little coffee shop called Around the Corner Coffee Company.
I went back a few weeks ago to visit the same location.
These days, 1103 Mill St. is home to The Roastery by Living Millennially, where things are “going good,” according to Paige Hewett.
Hewett is the founder and owner of Waterloo-based Living Millennially: The Roastery & The Pop Up.
The Roastery
Open since early October, The Roastery is where Hewett roasts coffee beans and sells the oat milk coffee beverages she’s already known for through The Pop Up, her mobile coffee bar.
The Roastery is a bright and welcoming place, colorful and fun.
The two-seater tables provide ample seating for such a small space. Guests are welcome to hang out and enjoy some coffee.
A set of shelves on one wall features bags of Living Millennially coffee and merchandise made by other creators, mainly women.
Items include Teapigs iced tea temples (add a pouch to your water bottle for some cold brew tea), jewelry, hats, coffee totes and knit sleeves, and handmade kaleidoscopes, made by Hewett’s dad.
The Wi-Fi signal isn’t very good at the café, so books, games and playing cards are available for customers.
A shelf behind the counter displays a collection of coffee-making equipment.
I noticed a Turkish coffee pot, a French press, an older Chemex (for pour-overs) and a floral-patterned carafe that reminded me of one my mom had in the late 1970s or early ‘80s.
Pretty cool.
On the menu
The coffee at The Roastery is roasted in very small batches. Her two roasters handle one pound of beans at a time, making it easier to experiment.
As far as beverages go, the specialty is the oat milk latte.
“If you’re open to trying oat milk, you’re open to trying new things,” Hewett said.
Hewett carefully crafts her drinks menu, roasting her coffee (mostly medium roasts) to pair well with oat milk and the flavored syrups she uses.
She makes some of their flavor syrups and hopes to make more (if not all) of it soon.
The challenge in making her own syrups to replace the ones she buys is doing it so the flavors of the beverages don’t change too much.
She said it’s a balancing act to introduce new flavors and just see how it goes.
Beverage options include:
Signature drinks
Good Karma Latte: espresso, lavender syrup, caramel syrup and oat milk;
The Dirty Bubble: chai, espresso, cinnamon, lavender syrup and oat milk;
Vanilla Spice Latte: espresso, vanilla syrup, cinnamon and oat milk;
Brown Sugar Latte: espresso, brown sugar, cinnamon and oat milk;
Espresso drinks
Vanilla latte;
Caramel latte;
Mocha latte;
Oat milk frappe (pick a latte and blend it);
Americano;
Fizzy drinks
Wonder Warf: coconut and raspberry syrup, sparkling water;
Stardrop Saloon: raspberry and vanilla syrup, sparkling water;
Cherry Crush: cherry syrup, sparkling water;
Princess Peach: peach syrup, vanilla syrup, sparkling water;
Teas
Vanilla Spice Matcha: matcha, vanilla syrup, cinnamon and oat milk;
Chai latte: chai, cinnamon and oat milk;
London Fog: black tea, lavender syrup and oat milk;
Creekside Fog: chamomile tea, raspberry syrup and oat milk;
Hot and iced teas
Lil Babes
Hot cocoa: steamed oat milk, chocolate and marshmallows;
Magical Milk: steamed oat milk, vanilla and cinnamon;
Berry Blastoff: steamed oat milk, raspberry and vanilla.
Sometimes there are special offerings.
A new spring menu is now available and includes:
Caramel Coconut Latte: espresso, caramel/coconut syrup and oat milk (served hot or iced);
Strawberry Chai Latte: chai tea, strawberry sauce, cinnamon and oat milk (served hot or iced);
Ube Latte: espresso, housemade ube syrup and oat milk (served hot or iced);
Strawberry Paradise: strawberry sauce, coconut syrup and sparkling water (suitable for kiddos).
There are so many ways to prepare and make coffee, and everyone is different.
“It’s very personal,” said Hewett. “It’s a personal experience that you’re enjoying with others [around you].”
As far as food goes, customers can partake of fancy, decorated cookies from Sweetcakes Custom Cakes & Treats in Columbia.
Bagels, muffins and breakfast burritos are also available.
Hewett said they make the burritos in advance and heat them as they’re ordered. They’re available with sausage, potato, egg and cheese or a vegetarian version, which is the same sans sausage.
The burritos go over pretty well, according to Hewett, especially since the business next door, Hank & Lilly’s Creekside, doesn’t serve breakfast.
The Pop Up
Before opening The Roastery, Living Millennially was already becoming well-known in the Waterloo area by participating in the Monroe County Farmers Market.
When Hewett first signed on to participate in the market, she did so before she had a trailer.
Rather than buying something new, she wanted something used that she could repurpose.
“The world is hard. We’re broke millennials,” said Hewett, which is part of the reason why she and her partner of six years, Caleb Wolz, are big DIY people.
She believes that reducing her impact on the environment is important, in part by repurposing, reusing and recycling as much as possible.
Enter The Pop Up.
She found a 1970s StarCraft pop-up camper (very cool!), a $600 investment, and made it her own.
The first event with the new-to-her trailer went well, she said.
Primarily used at the Monroe County Farmers Market, The Pop Up also makes appearances at one-off events throughout the community.
Hewett said The Pop Up gets the most traction at the Monroe County Farmers Market.
They will be at the weekly Waterloo event for a third year starting in a few weeks.
In the beginning – OR – Living the millennial life
When she’s not roasting or brewing coffee, Hewett is creating.
She went to school for graphic design and has a part-time day job in St. Louis at The Ink Spot, Inc., which specializes in print and design.
She uses her creative skills to help brand her business and can see her vision come to life.
She designed Living Millennially’s mascot, Oatie (who’s absolutely adorable), as well as the packaging design for the coffee.
She first launched Living Millennially about three years ago and featured her own designs.
Hewett designed and made a variety of stickers that depicted dogs, coffee and positive phrases, such as “Life is tough but so are you” and “Make your mind a good place to be.”
If you check out the photos on the Facebook page or Instagram, you’ll be able to see Hewett’s distinct style, which is carried through The Roastery and The Pop Up.
She uses a Pinterest board to develop her brand more, collecting art and designs that appeal to her and inspire her own ideas and designs.
(I used to do something similar during my own graphic designer days but without Pinterest. My method was to cut images and pages from magazines and other printed materials and pin them to a bulletin board or keep them in a folder or shoebox. Yeah, I’m old school. Or maybe just old …)
She also started her coffee endeavor by selling coffee beans online.
Hewett learned about coffee roasting from Wolz, who said he’s been in the food industry his entire life and in the coffee roasting industry for nearly 13 years.
Everyone at The Roastery and The Pop Up has a day job. Hewett usually works with one other person at The Roastery. The Pop Up is usually busier and needs up to four sets of hands to help out.
Coming full circle
It was a last-minute decision to come to Maeystown, said Hewett.
She previously roasted her coffee at another location, which was shared with another roaster. Eventually, she needed to move.
At that time, she spoke to Matt Schweitzer, co-owner of Hopskeller Brewing Company in Waterloo.
During the conversation, Schweitzer offered to sell Hewett his other business, Around the Corner Coffee Company, which closed in August.
She said it was a no-brainer and took Schweitzer up on his offer.
It’s gone over pretty well, she said.
The Roastery also offers an idyllic setting just outside, providing a place and “a time to step back and relax a little,” said Hewett.
Get a drink and a snack and pull up a bench. It’s a beautiful setting with a creek and a lot of nature.
“Being in a space that’s enjoyable makes it more enjoyable to be there,” said Hewett. “Others enjoy it.”
About Living Millennially: The Roastery & The Pop Up
The Roastery is located at 1103 Mill St. in Maeystown.
Hours are 7 a.m. to noon Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
The Pop Up will make appearances at the Monroe County Farmers Market (Saturdays, April 27 thru Oct. 26) and other community events.
For updates and upcoming events, follow the Living Millennially Facebook page.
