Charlie’s Coffee Co. cut the ribbon on its second location last Friday afternoon.
The Manitou cafe has expanded to include a Stanley location in the TerraPoint Agribusiness Centre between Morden and Winkler.
TerraPoint’s Chris Unrau says the eatery is a perfect fit for their vision for the facility, which is home to several local businesses.
“One of the things that was really important when we built this building was bringing together communities,” he says. “It’s a place where people can come together.
“When we saw what the Dobsons had done in Manitou, we recognized right away that it was the calibre and quality and the feel and the vibe” they wanted for TerraPoint.
Charissa Dobson heads up Charlie’s Coffee Co. alongside her husband Brodie. She says the company, which started up in 2021, has thrived in its original location in downtown Manitou, and they’re excited to expand east.
“We were very flattered when the Unraus were liking what we were doing and recognized our efforts there,” she said. “So we were very pleased to partner with them … we knew that Chris has the same spirit of risk-taking that my husband and I have, so were confident they would be good partners to carry the business forward.
“We’re very excited to see what’s going to happen and what kind of future growth there will be.”
The Stanley cafe’s menu includes all manner of hot and cold beverages as well as breakfast and lunch offerings.
“One thing that’s probably a little bit different from our location in Manitou is we wanted to have food included in ours as well,” said Unrau. “It’s not a burgers and fries kind of place. It’s a little bit more deli, a little bit more casual, hopefully a little bit more along the healthier line.
“We also noticed a gap here in the corridor. There’s a lot of businesses located here, and to get anywhere for a bite to eat, the traffic has increased, it’s further away, so we felt that there was an opportunity, and so far the community seems to be responding well to it.”
Unrau’s daughter Katie Unrau has been heavily involved in bringing the location to life. The fifth-year student at the Asper School of Business says she’s enjoyed learning the ropes of entrepreneurialism from her father while tackling this project.
