Get To Know Brewed Awakenings

In an effort to help the Saline community get to know the hard working people who do business in this community, the Saline Post has started this feature with the assistance of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce and Saline Main Street. If you'd like a little attention for your business,click here and fill out our form.

Brewed Awakenings Cafe

Owner: Kim Kaster
Contact: 7025 E. Michigan Ave., Suite M, 734-681-0078
Email: mybrewedawakeningscafe@gmail.com
On the Web: www.brewedawakeningscafe.com, 
Twitter/Facebook: @BAwakenings, Facebook

Questions Answered by Kim Kaster

Describe Your Business: Brewed Awakenings Cafe is an independent, family-owned coffee shop cafe. We love our community and we love to share our passion for creating great food and drinks. In addition to our wide variety of coffees and espresso drinks, we are also proud to offer an extensive food menu. The menu includes baked-from-scratch baked goods, paninis, sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and other desserts. We strive to create a comfortable & cozy atmosphere and take pride in being a good neighbor and local gathering place. We offer free wireless Internet access to our customers and are an excellent space to work, study, or relax.

What is your business best known for? The Cafe is best known for customer service, quality of products, comfortable setting and our support of our community.

Tell us something people might not know about your business: Brewed Awakenings Cafe offers catering and delivery.  Besides just our sandwiches and baked goods, we offer specialty trays, fruit trays, deli trays and more. Our website describes in more detail these services.

What would you be doing if you weren't running your business? I would be running a cat rescue.  All of my animals are rescue animals and I have always wanted to be a part of the answer for unwanted cats.  Not only would I be rescuing, but also providing a temporary home, help finding new homes and advocating for spaying.

Did anyone else play a big role your decision to start a business? Who? Why were they important to your decision? My husband, Mike, and my son, Nick, played the biggest role.  They convinced me that I could run a business and supported me throughout the process.  They continue to play a big role.  They are always there to tell me how great the cafe is and what a good job I am doing.

How many years have you been in business? It will be 2 years on March 1st.

Why did you decide to go into this business? I had worked in the coffee shop business for 7 years before opening my own cafe.  I had been working at a local shop until one day I went to work to find it had closed its doors.  I was devastated.  Up until then, I had not realized just how important the customers had become to me.  It seemed like I had lost part of my family. After a few weeks and many people talking to me about opening my own shop, I began researching the idea.  I wrote a business plan with a very detailed idea of what the business would be.  I shared it with a few people who really encouraged me.  From there, the journey continued until all the pieces fell into place.

How many employees do you have? There are currently 9 people who are part of the Brewed Awakenings family (not including my sons, husband or myself).

Who is your longest-serving employee (with years served, if you wish)? Erica has been with me since before I even opened.  She had worked with me at the previous shop that had closed.  I shared with her my thoughts of opening a cafe.  Her and I met periodically so that I could share with her the progress.  She also helped with the choosing of tiles, carpet and other items you see when you enter the cafe.  And she continues with me today.

Describe a moment in your business life that makes all the hard work “worth it." I wish I could pick out a moment.  However, there have been so many moments.  The day we opened and so many in the community came to the shop to support me.  The many times someone has told me how much the cafe felt so homey that they loved coming in.  The times someone tried one of our baked goods and loved it so much that they proposed (haha; everyone knows I am happily married but this has happened many times).  The many times people have told me how important the shop is to our community.  I could go on and on.  Because even now, when someone comes in and enjoys their food and their time at the cafe, it gives me a warm feeling in my heart.  Every day I have that moment.  I am truly blessed!!  However, if I had to pick out the one moment, it would be the day my son told me how proud he was of me and what I had accomplished (despite the fact that I was hardly at home).

What do you love about going to work each day? I love the people I work with and the customers who visit us.  I love everything about going to work each day.  Do I get exhausted?  Absolutely, but I still love every moment.

What cool new products or services are you offering? We are starting to offer catering. Plus we are expanding our bakery to offer cupcakes, biscotti, cheesecake and cinnamon rolls (all made from scratch).
 

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