THE BOX COFFEE BAR OFFERS COMMUNITY A JOLT OF ESPRESSO

from Discover 361 - 2018 Edition

by mrobertsdigital

RAILROAD SEAFOOD STATION IS ‘SHRIMPLY’ DELICIOUS

Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com The Box Coffee Bar on South Main Street is the original location. The building was once a free-standing ATM.

BY CIARA MCCARTHY cmccarthy@vicad.com

Amanda Cantu knows most of her customers at The Box Coffee Bar by name and by order.

But when someone new comes in, she’s always ready to greet that person with a smile — no matter how crazy their coffee order might be.

The craziest? A sleep deprived paramedic who ordered a latte — with nine shots of espresso in it.

“We’re willing to try new things. So if someone comes in here and they want something different, or they have a flavor combination in their mind but nobody really offers that, we’re willing to try it,” said Cantu, 28, the manager at The Box Coffee Bar. “If we have what it takes, the flavors and milks, we will try our best to put whatever it is you have in mind together.”

And that includes lattes made with nine shots of espresso.

The Box Coffee Bar is a locally owned coffee shop with two locations in Victoria. Community and good coffee are at the heart of Box Coffee, which opened its first location downtown in 2015, Cantu said.

The Box Coffee Bar’s origin is almost as unique as its first shop. John Valdivia, the owner of The Box Coffee Bar, started working in the coffee business when he founded the Victoria Roasting Company. In 2014, Valdivia was driving through Victoria when he saw a vacant ATM kiosk and was inspired to open a coffee shop in the unused space.

Three years later the locally owned chain has expanded, adding a second location near the intersection of East Airline Road and North Laurent Street in 2016.

All of the coffee for The Box is still provided by Valdivia’s original company, Victoria Coffee Roasters.

The coffee shop’s menu includes lots more than a simple cup of joe. Two of their signature drinks are the Oreo frap and Cuban coffee, a sweetened espresso shot, Cantu said.

The new location, which includes more seating space than the converted ATM kiosk, has become hugely popular among Box customers, Cantu said.

Cantu said customers have used the new, bigger location for everything from small business meetings to study sessions to catching up with friends over coffee.

“We have a personal relationship with all of our customers,” Cantu said. “It’s not just a, ‘What are you having? Goodbye,’ kind of thing. It’s more of ‘How are you doing? How’s your family?’ It’s all very friendly and personal. I think people enjoy that. They enjoy knowing that somebody cares, even if it’s just five minutes in the day.”  IF YOU GO