Oaxacafé Coffee Co. opens Branson location; more to come

The Springfield roasting and wholesale coffee company, 309 E. Water St., began opening retail stands in early April with a location inside Summer Fresh Supermarket, 220 W. Plainview Road. The Branson Mall location is No. 2 for Oaxacafé Coffee Co., but more are planned. A stand is slated to open in about two weeks at a supermarket in Dover, Ark., and in about four weeks at Country Mart in Branson.

Oaxacafé owners James and Cassie Olson license the Oaxacafé name and products for the “turn-key” stands, which cost $45,000 to $65,000. The stands feature coffee, cappuccino, Italian soda, flavored tea, smoothies, pastries and other snacks.

Kansas City-based trucking company Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. refers interested member grocery stores to Oaxacafé Coffee Co. The Olsons developed a relationship with AWG last fall, James Olson said.

“We’re providing a service to their customers,” said Olson, adding that Oaxacafé Coffee Co. is an option for stores that want a coffee stand but don’t want or can’t get a Starbucks stand.

The Olsons founded Oaxacafé Coffee Co. as a for-profit business in January 2006 after previously operating it as a nonprofit in Ozark. They’ve maintained an objective to raise money for Christian missionary work in Latin America.