HEATH – His love of coffee started years ago. In Argentina, more or less. Jeff Grow, then a college student, was on a mission trip.
“I didn’t grow up drinking much coffee,” he said. “I was around it, but it didn’t start becoming a drink of choice till I was 16 and driving. I started visiting gas stations and getting ‘cappuccinos,’ or at least I was led to believe.”
“In the following years,” he continued, “I grew an appreciation for better coffee and custom beverages. While in college, I was able to go on two mission trips. I was able to be ingrained into the cultures of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Experiencing their food and local beverages helped shape my appreciation for quality.”
“When I was in Argentina, I discovered yerba mate,” he added. “We drank it constantly. started becoming an aficionado of teas and coffees after that.”
Fast forward. Grow brought his expertise to Heath and now owns the Coffee Shack Coffee Roasters & Cafe.
“I’m the coffee roaster and food designer/preparer,” he said. “I’ve brought on a good crew of baristas and kitchen staff, but I create the specials, new items, off-menu items.”
Grow, now 42, grew up in Springboro, south of Dayton, and graduated from Springboro High School in 1995. He then graduated from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 1999.
“When I was a kid,” he recalled, “I always dreamed of being a business owner. I never had a specific area, but just knew I would be. But I gave up that dream while working in the asphalt business.”
He assumed he would retire from the asphalt business – but it wasn’t to be.
“Things in life started changing,” he said. “I had a few small businesses I ran out of my house, and I was home roasting coffee and people were requesting to purchase it. Friends of friends were hitting me up. By 2016 I was getting too busy with a construction job and also fulfilling coffee orders. I had to make a choice and I chose coffee. I wasn’t sure where I was headed, but coffee would be my focus.”
He opened the Coffee Shack in August of 2017.
“The staff is always friendly,” assessed Heath Mayor Mark Johns. “The food offerings, I think, are unique. And the atmosphere is pretty unique for the area. So it doesn’t surprise me they’ve got quite a few cars in their parking lot. Obviously, I’m not the only one who’s learned it’s a great place to get a coffee and a bite to eat.”
One of those frequent customers is Tricia Moore of Newark.
“If Jeff is working on a new item,” she said, “he’ll come over and say, ‘Hey, I’m working on a new cream cheese, want to try it?’ Of course, it’s always phenomenal! His food and coffee are incredible.”
“I truly love coffee, and everything involved,” Grow responded. “I do this because coffee and custom beverages are my passion. I enjoy taking raw coffee and making it into something that most people enjoy. Plus, I love creating food that people enjoy.”
“I want everyone to have a great experience,” he concluded. “Great experiences can brighten a day, and sometimes we all need that.”
For more
Coffee Shack Coffee Roasters & Cafe LLC is located at 409 South 22nd Street, Suite 3, in Heath. For more information, call 740-915-8372 or check out their Facebook page.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821
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Aces of Trades: Jeff Grow brings love of java to Coffee Shack Coffee Roasters & Cafe - The Newark Advocate
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