Dam fine location for new cafe as Beaver Rock lodges itself downtown

Beaver Rock Coffee is moving into downtown Barrie and planning a whole new vibe and look at a popular spot that's no stranger to coffee culture. 

The local coffee manufacturer is taking over where the former Casa Cappuccino left off at 91 Dunlop St. E. as a go-to cafe beside Meridian Place.

The project has been in the works for a few months and the news was made official by the south-end coffee roaster this week on its social media platforms,

Dan Saso said he and his wife, co-owners of Beaver Rock, won’t take possession of the property until it's overhauled inside, but he expects to get to work the minute they do.

“It's a really big job. We’re redoing the whole place because it has to have our signature on it,” Saso told BarrieToday. “There will be all new flooring and we are even looking at how to add a side door to allow for a nice enclosed patio, which depends on our talks with the city.

"We’re definitely going to have a patio," he added. "Just how that looks will be the question.”

Saso says he plans on the cafe having a beaver-lodge vibe, from decorative paddles and signature beaver logo. 

Beaver Rock has a retail store in the city's south end at 535 Bryne Dr., which Saso said “does very, very well” and sells all their coffee products.

Plans for the downtown location started to come together in mid-April when Saso got a call to take a look at it.

“I’ve been in Barrie for most of my life and I recognize that it is a great spot for a business, particularly a well-run coffee shop,” he said. “It was a bank when I was growing up, but has been a cafe since about 1991, so the familiarity is there.

"I took a good look at it, I did the math and I thought that even though we don’t know a lot about food prep, we can learn and we can add the cafe experience to what we do well, which is coffee," Saso added. 

Previously called Casa Cappuccino, the former establishment closed in early April despite its prime location, which looks out onto the bustling downtown square.

The new shop will not only serve in-house Beaver Rock products to take home in K-Cups and bagged coffee, but will also serve as a cafe for light breakfasts and lunches, while patrons enjoy the many brands of coffee the company offers. 

Saso also believes now is the time for a shop like Beaver Rock to be in downtown Barrie as the city looks to grow in that part of town.

“We sat down with the landlord and they were really excited about us coming in because there is a whole movement happening to have local businesses in downtown Barrie," he said. "The revitalization of the area is afoot and we really want to be part of that."

Saso pointed out that his company has a strong desire to help the community, whether local or larger, through many initiatives. They recently worked with an Inuit-owned social enterprise named Kaapittaq (meaning good coffee) to develop a local brand of medium roast coffee to sell in that Inuit community.

Beaver Rock also worked together with Georgian College on the development of new packaging which, upon completion, will allow the company to package their single serve in home compostable format. Materials made of starches and paper fibre lids with vegetable and soy-based inks will help that process.

“We want to make sure we continue to make great coffee, sure, but giving back where we can to the community and the environment is part of the pillars we operate under,” Saso said.

With work beginning on the inside of the new location in the next coming weeks, Saso says there is more on the way for the local roaster.

“We have a brand-new website coming soon and we have plans to open more of these stores, maybe up in the north end as well,” he said. “In the end, it all comes down to the fact that our business is growing and we want to make it the best it can be in this phenomenal city.”

For more on Beaver Rock products and information, head to their website by clicking here.