take in the view of the foothills in the distance. On a typical morning, Daycamp is humming with a friendly crew of hiplooking baristas serving a mix of students camped at laptops, professionals meeting clients and young moms in yoga pants hauling kids in strollers. As busy as it gets, the scene inside the spacious cafe remains relaxed and inviting. After the first several months of business, Daycamp did endure a difficult patch. The cafe, like most every other business, had to close the doors during the COVID19 shutdowns. Nies said they weathered the pandemic by paring down the operation to takeaway only, setting up a coffee cart at the open roll-up door, which is something he has experience with. Before Daycamp, Nies was the roastmaster for Great State Coffee Company, and he used to serve his coffees from a cart posted up inside Chico Municipal Building. Daycamp’s coffee is roasted in-house as
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Cappuccino PHOTO COURTESY OF DAYCAMP COFFEE
well, with the process on full display at a giant yellow roaster inside the space. In fact, the coffee-making—from sustainable, seasonal sourcing to roasting a few feet from where it’s brewed—is the focus, alongside the cafe’s communitybuilding mission. When asked about how he sees Meriam Park’s place in the greater community Nies said, “It’s feeling more and more like Chico. … We definitely see the Meriam Park locals a lot, and the teams that are working for our neighbor businesses. We are [also] seeing—and I’m surprised—a lot of students. I’ve been serving coffee in Chico for over a decade and I’m seeing faces I was serving coffee to downtown. So, people are starting to make the trek out here.” And within Meriam Park itself? Has a neighborhood vibe developed among tenants of the commercial Tank District? “I think it still has room to really take off,” Nies said, “I definitely see some more collaboration in the future.” As for Daycamp’s future, Nies says he’s expanding commercial coffee sales—both to local business and online customers—and the cafe will be ramping up its food program as well as starting to host live music. Ω
Daycamp Coffee 1925 Market Place, Ste. 150 daycampcoffee.com Open 7 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
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