IN THE BEGINNING
My name is Karen D. Ross, creator of Cleveland Cold Brew Coffee and Coffee Joy Mobile Coffee Catering Co. I’ve been obsessed with coffee since I was three years old when my Mommy used to share some of her coffee with me! In 2002, I took my obsession to a whole ‘nother level by opening my own little coffee shop, Zanzabar Coffee and Espresso Bar on W. 25th St. across from the West Side Market. That small coffee shop made a name for itself and built a loyal following for our mocha “toddy”. Sadly, the shop only lasted a year, but the dream of owning a coffee shop never died.
Fast forward (really, let’s fast forward) to 2016. My coffee dream is coming back into focus, but now everybody’s talking about COLD BREW COFFEE. After figuring out it’s the same process I used to make the mocha toddy, I set out on a mission to try this again. I was inspired to start my new business after watching the Cleveland Cavaliers come from behind to WIN the 2016 NBA Championship! As I’m watching our team fight its way from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series, I told myself “if they win, I’ll do it”. So, in 2017 I started making and bottling my own unique blends of cold brew and Cleveland Cold Brew Coffee was born!
WHAT IS COLD BREW COFFEE?
It’s simply the process of brewing coffee without heat, which produces a slightly sweet, less acidic coffee with lots of caffeine! After saturating course ground coffee with cool water, it sits or “brews” anywhere from 12-24 hours. This produces a cold brew concentrate which is then used as the base for ready to drink cold brew coffee, nitro cold brew coffee, coffee cocktails, or whatever you can imagine adding cold brew coffee to!
HERE AND NOW
My vision is to Empower our community with jobs, Encourage others with an example of minority and female entrepreneurship, and Embrace everyone – all are welcome!
Since selling my first bottle of cold brew coffee at a community event in 2016, and participating in countless farmer’s markets, events like Laurel Live, and partnering with various local retailers over the years, I’ve expanded the business to include Coffee Joy, a mobile coffee catering company that provides next level coffee service for weddings, meetings, and special events.
You can also find our bottled ready to drink cold brew, and cold brew concentrate at Meijer’s Fairfax Market at E. 105 and Cedar!
I know we’re one more brand with the name “Cleveland” in it, but to me that name, this city, proves that dreams do come true, and nothing is impossible…with a little COLD BREW!
