Food & Wine
Eating In Iowa: Growing their coffee shop from the ground up
Feb 21, 2010
By Laura Dillavou
Grounds for Celebration employee Marcia Wych makes all the gelato for the Des Moines coffee shops. Wych said she loves experimenting to create unique flavors. Photo by Laura DillavouGrounds for Celebration enjoys fruitful history in Des Moines
By Laura Dillavou
Chilly mornings have been plentiful here in Iowa – as we bundle up in our coats, boots, and scarves, it goes without saying that a hot cup of coffee is about the best way to start these snowy days.
Grounds for Celebration, located in three Des Moines’ neighborhoods, have been in the metro area for over 15 years. Owners George Rivera-Davis and his wife Jan started the original shop, located in Beaverdale, after realizing the neighborhood needed a one-stop place for fresh-brewed coffee drinks, lunches, and pastries.
But what sets Grounds for Celebration apart from other coffee shops isn’t just the unique décor or friendly staff; The Davis’s own and oversee operations of a coffee farm in Panama. A family member of George’s first introduced the self-proclaimed “coffee nuts” to the rich taste of Panamanian beans. It was love at first sip.
“There’s just no comparison,” Jan Davis said. “We knew that this coffee was something we had to bring back to our shop. It started with an order of 5,000 plants, covering nine to ten acres, and so far, we’ve harvested two full crops in the span of five years.”
The beans are grown organically in a mountainous area, complemented with shade and enriched by great soil, Davis said. Their beans, along with beans grown at a neighboring farm in Panama, are sold in bulk and also ground for espresso at the stores. In a given month, the stores go through 300 to 400 pounds of coffee, while includes the Panama beans, as well as beans from Indonesia and Africa.
Aside from coffee, the shops, located in Beaverdale, Windsor Heights and West Des Moines, also offer full-service lunches, hand-made gelato, fresh-made pastries, and recently started featuring unique desserts from a local baker.
“We do everything we can on-site,” Davis said. “We have employees who have focused their talents in one area or another and we’ve also taken advantage of training schools to expand what we offer to our customers.”
Davis said about five years ago, they added gelato, an Italian soft ice cream-like dessert, but with much less fat than regular ice cream. Marcia Wych, the shop’s gelato guru, is in charge of whipping up the soft serve, much to the delight of customers.
“It’s so fun,” Wych said. “I just get to experiment with flavors … this peanut butter-chocolate batch is pretty darn good. I try and be as creative as possible … we had a bacon gelato once, and I’ve done other non-traditional flavors, like tomato basil and a raspberry vinaigrette. It’s not what you’d expect in a ‘dessert,’ but we’ve used it in other ways to enhance a lunch plate or just offer something different.”
Changing the lunch menu every five weeks, offering ornate desserts, and serving each cup of cappuccino, espresso, or coffee with a smile, has created a strong base of regulars in each location. For Davis, getting to know fellow coffee lovers is one of the best parts of the job.
“We’ve had three sets of people meet in line and they’ve wound up getting married,” Davis said. “We’ve had regulars meet other regulars and become close friends – seeing people meet and connect is very rewarding. I love that we can be a place where people want to sit and relax, talk, and enjoy time with another person.”
Despite downturns in the economy, Davis said business remains strong. Cup after cup, she said customers new and old are getting a quality roast in each drink that’s made.
“You can taste the difference between fresh-roasted beans, like we have, or beans that have been shipped and sat in a warehouse,” Davis said. “I think we’re offering Des Moines something unique in that we have such a wide variety of things to enjoy, and each is made with quality ingredients.”
To learn more about Grounds for Celebration and find a location near you, visit: www.groundsforcelebration.com.
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Laura Dillavou is a communications professional for Iowa State University with a passion for tasty food and fine wine. Her favorite places to dish on the latest dishes include Sbrocco, The Café, Trostel’s Dish, The Waterfront, and Ohana Steak House – but she’s pretty happy with a pizza and cold beer, too. While not writing about food and wine or consuming them, you’ll find Laura baking up a storm of cookies, cakes, and other desserts in the kitchen.
