Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Austin.
Hi Andrea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up going to Nordstrom with my grandpa at the start of the school year. My absolute favorite thing was stop at the little café and order a special drink. Mine was an Almond Moo (almond-flavored steamed milk). This blossomed into a love for the café atmosphere and became the catalyst for getting a job as a barista at Starbucks in my early 20’s. After about a year there, I moved to Maui, HI and volunteered with Youth with a Mission, I was blessed to take teams to Malaysia and China and served on the base in different positions. When I returned home in 2003, I went right back to being a barista. I loved the pace, people and path I could take. My manager saw my potential and promoted me quickly. As my confidence grew in my leadership, I stepped into an assistant manager role and then manager. I was a store manager for ten years and loved every minute!
About four years ago, I stepped down to re-focus and make some life changes. I didn’t move very quickly but in November of 2019, I moved from Everett, WA to Spring, TX. I joined my brother and his wife here and started looking for something new to do. With coffee in my blood, I knew I wanted to stay in that line of work but with a twist. I was blessed to find an open position at my church that would focus on the new coffee house being built but there would be a time before where I would assist the welcome director. I started as the Welcome Coordinator, helping the Welcome Director with coordinating volunteers, ensuring the church was ready each Sunday to welcome our congregation and guests and running the Sunday morning café, all while getting ready to open a second venue with the coffee house that we would open to the public. A year after I moved to Spring, we opened the doors to the WoodsEdge Coffee House. I am now the Coffee House Manager and I oversee the Sunday cafes in each venue here at WoodsEdge Community Church.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life always has challenges, right? For me, the biggest challenge has been embracing my passion. Learning that we all really are different, that we each have something to give that is different. I may not be as ambitious as some, I may be more loyal than others. Coffee has been such a gift, learning about the origins, teaching that to others. Honing my own craft to pass on to those I have hired. All that to say, I am so glad my back-to-school shopping with grandpa started this passion for coffee and the coffee house atmosphere.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about WoodsEdge Coffee House?
The WoodsEdge Coffee House is a café within a church. On Sundays, we serve our congregation but, Monday-Thursday we are open to the public. We are a gathering place, a place you can enjoy a quiet corner and a warm cappuccino, or a place you can grab an ice-cold tea and hit the trails around our campus. There are benches all around our outdoor space, an outdoor patio, and a walk-up order window. We handcraft pour-overs, French presses, lattes, and teas. Every three months, we roll out a new set of seasonal favorites. We work together to decide what flavors to highlight, what innovation we want to add, and what the industry is focusing on and add our own twist.
We Love Jesus- Keeping Christ at the heart of all that we do. Doing all things with excellence from our actions, words, and creations. We Journey Together- Creating genuine connections with everyone we meet. Loving and respecting each other, being servant-hearted, demonstrating compassion, and communicating with kindness. We Bring Hope- Seeing people and fostering relationships. Being gracious in all interactions, sharing the message of faith, hope, and love that comes from Jesus.
My heart is to see this place become a special part of our community. We may be a bit off the main road but as you wind around into the trees you can escape the daily grind to breathe in and rest.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Come and visit and tell your friends. We grow by word of mouth. We would love to be a place businesses can host meetings (up to 20 people). If you place a large order ($100 or more with at least one week notice) we can provide a meeting space at no cost on our campus (Monday-Thursday 8 am-3 pm)
We love to teach! We can host a coffee cupping and chocolate tasting with you and your friends/team. If you are a social media influencer, we would love to partner with you.
Pricing:
- Menu items: $2 – $6
- Large orders – $100 minimum
- Cupping – 5 people $50
Contact Info:
- Email: cafe@woodsedge.org
- Website: https://www.woodsedge.org/coffeehouse
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/woodsedge_coffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoodsEdgeCoffeeHouse
Image Credits
My personal photo: Bailey White All others: Zach Delano
