Are you looking for a new café to explore and hang out with your friends in?
Grounded Coffee is a new coffee shop that opened on April 3 in Gas City, Indiana. Its sole owner, Kayla Poling, is a full-time real estate agent.
Poling decided to open Grounded Coffee in Gas City because it is her hometown and the place she is now raising her kids. She bought the land the coffee shop is on around two years ago. She spent a lot of time in prayer and thought about what God was calling her to build on her land.
“My goal is to create a place where people can have conversations that they might not normally have — over coffee, tea and eventually pastries,” Poling said.
Before “Grounded Coffee,” Poling first came up with the name “Grounded through Christ” because she felt like the coffee making process was a metaphor for our faith and spiritual journey.
Poling hopes that her coffee shop will be a place that young people and youth groups can come to and have conversations.
“A coffee bean starts whole, gets roasted, then ground — just like how we grow in faith,” Poling said. “We start whole, go through trials and eventually become grounded in the Lord.”
She hopes people in the local community will be able to meet new people through the coffee shop.
Her goal is that people will feel welcomed and comfortable to talk with one another.
She also looks forward to meeting Taylor students and wants them to feel like Grounded Coffee is a safe and relaxing place.
Grounded Coffee’s two specialty drinks are the Honeybee, a honey and cinnamon latte served hot or iced, and the Toasted Marshmallow, which is a mocha with toasted marshmallow flavor. They also have chai tea and other flavors like hazelnut, vanilla and sugar-free caramel and vanilla.
Poling’s personal preference is the toasted marshmallow iced or the brown sugar shaken espresso. They use a roast called ARC with a conduit and decaf option. All of the beans come from Tinker Coffee, a local roaster in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Poling believes Grounded Coffee stands out from other coffee shops because of how community based it is. She hopes people will come in with an open mind, and know they have the power to change someone’s life.
“Even small acts can make the world a better place,” Poling said.
Poling has really enjoyed the whole process leading up to the opening.
Grounded Coffee is currently open only three days a week but hope to expand their drinks options and include food items on their menu once they open full time.
“We’ve had a steady amount of customers, which has been great for learning — like adjusting sweetness levels, milk ratios, or temperature,” she said.
Poling hopes to host events at Grounded Coffee in the future. She wants to host Bible study groups for teens and college students. She is also interested in doing a coffee and paint night. For Mother’s Day, she is thinking of hosting a “Coffee and Flowers” event. A lot of these ideas are still in process, but Poling is excited to see what will be possible.
Grounded Coffee will be going full time on May 12. They will be open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you go to Grounded Coffee, not only will you have a warm coffee, but you will be greeted with warm smiles and conversations.
