Jen and Jen talk coffee and treats
Amor, Amore, Amour, Liebe….No matter how you say it, Love is the answer. And, it’s exactly what I feel when I walk into the Kind Bean in Chandler. I love the variety of fresh bruschetta, the mouth watering desserts, and of course, the Chai Tea. Typically, this would seem like enough to make anyone a regular. But, then you meet the owners, Jennifer and Clay Novick, and they remind you why supporting Local Businesses is so important. Their kindness towards their customers and the love they put into everything they make, takes you away from a standard coffee shop and transports you to a caring, inviting atmosphere. So, during the month of love, I felt this was the best place to sit down, surrounded by hearts, and talk to Jennifer about her coffee shop and how her place is making such an impact on our community.
Jen (Jennifer Nielson): Why did you pick this neighborhood to open the Kind Bean? What makes it special to you?
Jennifer (Jennifer Novick): We used to live in the the neighborhood and there was a coffee shop here before the recession hit 9 years ago. We feel like the neighborhood is coming back and it needed another coffee shop. But, we’re more than a coffee shop because we do all the baking here.
Jen: So, you make all your own baked goods?
Jennifer: Yes, it’s all made fresh, in house, daily. The bread for the bruschetta is the only thing we don’t make here but it’s delivered daily from a Tempe bakery. It’s made special just for our location. So, it’s the only thing that’s made off-site.
Jen: How do you think the Kind Bean benefits the community? What does it give the community it didn’t have before?
Jennifer: Definitely the kindness. That’s Clay’s and mine’s mission. We call it Kindness, Coffee, and Community. Our mission is kindness, our method is coffee, and our market is the community. We realized we can change the world small. In our 4 walls we can create kindness and hopefully push some of that out the door. And then, someone will take that with them and be kind out in the world. Then, we can create a pay it forward, pay it kind, community.
Jen: What is your specialty? What do you think people come back and ask for most?
Jennifer: Coffee is our focus. But, I would say the bakery is the most. The fact that we serve vegan pastries is very unusual. And, I like blowing people’s minds that it’s vegan and they don’t even know it. We don’t advertise vegan but the word is getting around and we have a huge vegan following which we weren’t expecting. It’s been a lot of fun to watch that grow.
Jen: Having a vegetarian coffee and bakery place in Chandler is very original. I am not a vegan and I love your baked goods. And, your bruschetta is fresh and delicious. How do you make meat eaters understand how amazing your food is?
Jennifer: We get it in their mouth! Most people don’t know because we don’t advertise it. We want to change the misconception that vegan food isn’t good. So, we like to give them samples and let them decide that way.
Jen: How long have you been in business? What is your background in the coffee/bakery world?
Jennifer: We’ve only been open 2 months. We have been local business owners in the past and we used to own our own Audio Video Editor store for 10 years in Chandler. So, we know how supportive Chandler is of local businesses. Before that, we owned a Rocky Mountain Bakery in New York for 4 years. And, Clay went to Florida Culinary School in West Palm Beach. So, he is trained as a Culinary Chef.
Jen: I am a huge fan of local and supporting our communities. Not only are you local but you also picked a local roaster for your coffee. Is that also important to you?
Jennifer: Yes! We source as much as we can from Arizona to be local. Our coffee and bakery are local. Our chai tea is made in Tucson. When we can’t source local, we like to use great Mom and Pop stores and help their communities in that same local attitude.
Jen: What are your hours? What is the best way to find you on Social Media?
Jennifer: Our hours are Monday – Friday from 10:00 – 4:00. Saturday’s are 8:00 – 4:00 and we are closed on Sunday’s.
You can find The Kind Bean on social media at The Kind Bean on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
I treasured sitting down with Jennifer and finding out more about her and Clay’s business. If you would like a little more Kindness, Coffee, and Community in your life, this is the place to start!
*Show Jen, Clay or anyone on staff this article and you will get a FREE treat with any drink order! I hope you enjoy The Kind Bean as much as I do.
*The Kind Bean is located at 1020 E. Pecos Rd., #7, Chandler, AZ 85225 (McQueen and Pecos)
*480-726-8300
