SAN ANTONIO — Locals helping locals — that’s the motto behind northwest-side small business Cool Beans Cafe.
Inspired by a love for coffee and furry friends, this dog friendly cafe opened in January. They serve coffee with espresso beans grown in the mountains of Puerto Rico. And they’re also a brunch destination with food, alcohol and beer for dogs. Yeah, we’ll get back to that one.
"We wanted to kind of be a part of that culture and that community here in San Antonio that offers a quality cup of coffee. You can come in and feel, you know, warm and relaxed and just down to earth," said co-owner Dalia Aponte.
She graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio, and her father, Daniel Aponte, who is an Army veteran, knew if they were going to open a local business, it had to be in "Military City."
"We're all about the Army, you know, go, go, go. So let's do it. So we went ahead and did that — we opened the coffee shop," said Daniel.
But it’s grown to more than just a coffee shop. We sampled pizza, teas, macaroons and a pancake charcuterie board. But what has really gotten them buzz on social media is how they’re so dog friendly.
"For our dogs, our little 'pup-stomers,' we offer puppy-chino's, we offer our charcuterie boards. We have popsicles, mutt-fins, different dog cigars, dog pretzel bits," said Dalia.
It's safe to say, Yummy the English Bulldog had a wonderful time:
And of course, the dog beer, which is not alcoholic — it’s a flavored broth.
"We get it from Good Boy Dog Beer. Super cute, great quality dog beer, really great company. We love them. They've shipped us some stuff and all of our dogs have loved it so far," said Dalia.
And nearly everything you'll find inside is sourced either in the 210, or, across Texas.
"We are a business of local helping locals. And we have two bakers doing our bakery. We also have dog bandanas and dog leashes," said Daniel.
They were supposed to open in March of 2020, but because of the pandemic, they delayed their plans for almost a year.
"We opened and it seemed like everybody was just so welcoming. They were so excited to have a small business here." said Dalia.
So, if you want to support a local business that has become what it is today with the help of other local businesses, you can visit their social media page here.
And you can click the link here to scroll through their website.
"It's been really, really nice," said Dalia.
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