Angela O'Curran LopezRoseland Coffee Bar Opened in Barlow
There are few things better than drinking a delicious coffee and looking out at a gorgeous view – except for enjoying a decadent, homemade Scotcheroo (made from a secret family recipe) along with it.
Roseland Coffee Bar is the newest place in the Mid-Ohio Valley to grab a great drink and the first one in the town of Barlow. Owner Collin Yost grew up in the Barlow area and graduated from Warren High School, just down the road from where Roseland recently opened its doors.
After a successful career as a marine biologist, a couple of cross-country moves, and some time spent working at a friend’s shop in the coffee capital of the United States (aka the Pacific Northwest), Yost decided it was time to come home and open his own coffee shop. What started as a family joking back and forth about what it might be like to open a business in their small town became a reality when Yost decided it was time for a change when he found out his dad had planned to retire this year. The wheels began turning and the plans came to life.
Yost considered the possible locations for his business as Marietta, Belpre, Athens, or even Columbus, but ultimately Barlow won out because of its centralized location to people commuting to and from work, as well as all the students returning to Warren High School in the fall.
One of the primary goals in choosing his location, according to Yost, was to “inspire more people to come build businesses here and become a part of the community.”
Though they have only been open a short time, the list of ideas for community collaboration is growing quite long, as is the number of regular customers. Yost stressed that once the business is a little more established, and finds its groove, he and the staff, which right now is made up of some very dedicated family members, want to begin volunteering in the community as well. Those community ties can already be seen, and tasted, within Roseland. Yost called upon local businesses to build and design the interior of the shop, as well as stock the ingredients used for the product.
The counter is made from a piece of wood gifted to the Yost family, and friends and family did a bulk of the restoration and design work themselves. Even the bar that runs along the accent wall has Yost’s personal touch to it, being covered in stickers that he brought with him from his time in Portland, Ore. He also brought back his love of coffee and barista training from his time there.
As far as the menu goes, it is designed after the coffee shops that Yost worked in while living in Portland, with tastes and combinations customizable by customer. Or, in the case of an adventurous soul, by just telling the barista “surprise me!”
Yost said that when putting the equipment together that even though it would be more expensive, he made sure to get an Italian espresso machine, because “making coffee is a weird chemistry science.” Both the coarseness of the grounds, ground fresh from whole roasted beans for each individual order, and the temperature and preparation factor into the way a coffee drink will taste. Roseland also offers lemonades, smoothies and other fruit-based drinks for those who just don’t love coffee.
Though the machine may be from a country a little far away, the milk, the honey, and the yummy sweets come from just down the road. Yost orders the milk used for the drinks from Twin Pines Dairy, and one of the secrets to the richness of the mocha drinks is that he uses actual chocolate milk for their base, instead of just chocolate syrup. The honey used in the shop comes from a local beekeeper, The Bee Barn, and the scones come from a local baker that bakes them fresh in the Barlow area.
No matter if you are a coffee lover, a shop local supporter, or a member of the Barlow community who is excited to have a new business in your neighborhood, there are a million reasons to love Roseland Coffee Bar and what Collin Yost and his family are contributing to the community.