Let's Go Local

I first became interested in specialty coffees in 2007 when I began publishing articles about coffee roasters like Joe Wells in Key West, Florida and Sean Grant in Seattle, WA.

Because I began learning so much about the whys and wherefores of coffee roasting it became a logical next step to find out what was available right here in my home town of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In writing this article I thought it would be fun to get the ideas and thoughts about local coffee houses from the locals themselves and so I asked this question on Facebook.

What coffee house do you believe is the best in Fort Wayne? Here are the answers I received.

Jain Young of Heartland Communities stepped up for Three Rivers Co-op Natural Grocery's Deli, located at 1621 Sherman Blvd. "They only sell fair-trade organic shade-grown coffee. My all-time favorite is Cafe' Fair's Guatamalan Dark. Smooth, smooth, smooth!

Connie Haas Zuber, a well-known editor and writer, and Anita-Perlikiewicz-Homco of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center both put in votes for Old Crown Coffee Roasters, located at 3417 North Anthony- but Anita stated to her Old Crown was really a tie with The Friendly Fox, which makes its home at 4001 South Wayne Street.

Stephanie O'Shaughnessy put in her vote for a newer coffeehouse here in the Fort. The Firehouse Coffee and Tea Shop on 1245 E. State. She stated, "I've only been there once so far, but their iced tea is awesome!

Diana Coffin is high on Firefly Coffee House, which is just down the street from Old Crown at 3523 N. Anthony.

My personal favorite is the Friendly Fox. They are close to my home and I love their atmosphere. Besides their wonderful coffee assortments, they also offer many different pastries that are a melt-in-your-mouth experience!
I also utilized the Friendly Fox for the launch of the Green ABC's in April of 2010 and their humus dip was exemplary.

These are some of the local coffeehouses in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There have been others that have come and gone, and it seems that without the firm support of their local neighborhoods coffee shops in Fort Wayne don't last.
Disclaimer: This is not a complete list of local coffee houses in Fort Wayne. I concentrated on those that were mentioned by those who participated in the Facebook outreach.