Can you smell fresh ground coffee beans, the aroma of espresso, or the delicate tastes of homemade specialty goods that tickle your palette? I can only assume that your answer is ‘no’. If any these cause a craving that shivers down your spine, we suggest you take yourself down to the coffeehouse with the big city name and relaxing environment that a small town can only offer.
Urban Ground Coffeehouse is established in the close-knit municipality of Swift Current, Saskatchewan; a humbling town of approximately 20 000 residents. With small town charm, Kaitlin Kennedy, owner and operator, believed it was time for a shop in the quaint community.
“Opening late in 2007, Urban Ground Coffeehouse was in a way, the first of its’ kind for the city and was instantly well received,” Kennedy explained. “The downtown core of the city had been undergoing a lot of positive changes and lots of businesses were filling vacant buildings at the time.”
Success of the newly sought-after ‘coffee spot’ was seen immediately and was welcomed with open arms by many, however, Kennedy said, “there wasn’t anything similar at the time and there were a lot of people who didn’t believe that an independent coffeehouse would be well supported in the community.”
“We were excited to become a part of downtown area as it has become a vibrant area to be in.”
Changing the views of the community of what a coffeehouse represents, Urban Ground Coffeehouse took pride in the products they were providing to curious customers and surprised them by giving them a feeling of being in the big city.
“We like to think that our quality product and in-store desserts are a huge plus for our customers,” Kennedy said. “Coffee, specialty drinks and treats are definitely something that most anyone can enjoy.”
With the highly competitive coffee industry and with the introduction of large chains bringing in their own ‘specialty’ ideas and products, Kennedy knows that the company’s brand had to be unique and worthy to the customers.
“What we have to our advantage is that we use a manual espresso machine,” she explained. “Each shot and pitcher of milk is poured and steamed by hand, which gives us great control and allows us to serve the coffee the way that coffeehouse culture was developed.”
“We also bake everything fresh in-house daily, which is definitely unique when compared to a chain.”
Urban Ground Coffeehouse continues to provide the highest quality of service, specialty drinks, treats and environment that keeps bringing locals and visitors back to relax in the warm surroundings that only a small town coffeehouse can provide.
“The concept of Urban Ground was to bring the feel of a big city coffeehouse to Swift Current and provide high-quality drinks and baking in a relaxing atmosphere.”