Today we’d like to introduce you to Janice Dotti Townsend.
Janice, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved coffee, since I had my first good cup in Honduras in 1999. After going to school in Nashville, Tennessee, I fell in love with the independent coffeehouse scene. Most of my free time was spent hanging out in coffeeshops. Soon after, I got involved in the fair-trade movement and learned more and more about how our purchases impact the livelihoods of coffee farmers worldwide. After spending some time working on a coffee project, I decided that one day I wanted to open a coffeehouse near my hometown that combined my love of coffee, people, and a desire to create a space where people knew more about where their coffee and food comes from.
I opened Roots Coffeehouse in North Richland Hills in March 2009 with the vision to bring ethically-sourced, craft coffee to the community. A place that would be open late, serve great drinks & eats, and be a gathering place for the community. Now, more than eight years later, we have a fantastic staff that brings this vision to life every day. People say one of the things that makes them love Roots is our community of people here and I have to agree!
The craft coffee world has changed tremendously since we opened in 2009, and has grown exponentially. Over the most recent five years, we have made the shift to locally roasted coffee (Novel Coffee Roasters in Dallas), local or handmade ingredients in almost all our recipes (we make all our syrups and sauces in house!), and, most recently, the addition of craft beer on tap & wine by the glass.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being one of the first local coffeehouses in our area, our first few years were challenging. We had to educate our early customers on why craft coffee was different, why our drink sizes were smaller, and why you can’t have the same coffees all year round. It was a slow, but rewarding process as we saw our customers start to get excited about drinking their coffee in new ways or experiment with new brew methods, or inquire about the farmer who grew their coffee beans.
As interest in craft coffee grew, so did our customer base and we were able to be more successful.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Roots Coffeehouse – what should we know?
Our three areas of focus are:
1. Craft Coffee
2. Local Ingredients
3. Being a gathering place for the community
We want to serve truly artisan coffee drinks, crafted by hand, one-by-one, and with care. Our baristas are amazing at bringing coffee to life in various forms.
We use local or housemade ingredients whenever possible. Some of our local partners include: Novel Coffee Roasters, Dude Sweet Chocolate, Holy Kombucha, Boopas Bagels, Main St Bakery, Peticolas Brewing, Collective Brewing Project, Sunnyvale Honey, Fox&Otter, and many more! Additionally, we host a “Buy Local” event once a year on the first Saturday in October – a market-style day when we bring together our area’s best ingredients, makers, and artists.
We’ve always strived to be an approachable, friendly coffeehouse. We want our customers to feel welcomed and guided through their coffee experience, rather than rushed & looked down on. Our team is amazing, and they work hard to cultivate a community gathering place for everyone.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our incredibly faithful regulars have always been our advocates, since the beginning. Without them, we wouldn’t be here.
Also, our team here is amazing – they really care about making Roots the best place to visit and work.
My husband, Matt, who has tirelessly worked by my side since our first year.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9101 Blvd 26, Ste 101
North Richland Hills, TX 76180 - Website: www.rootscoffeehouse.com
- Phone: 817 503 7344
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rootscoffeehouse
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/rootscoffeehouse
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/rootscoffee
- Yelp:https://www.yelp.com/biz/roots-coffeehouse-north-richland-hills-4
- Other: Menu: http://www.rootscoffeehouse.com/northrh/menu-page/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
