THE WORLD IN YOUR CUP
We use Fair Trade and Co-Op green coffee sources – this means you support small farms in developing regions around the world with each purchase. We are members of the Specialty Coffee Association, giving you the confidence that we have the resources to ensure our expertise from bean to cup. We roast locally, building quality on top of freshness. We pride ourselves in being good Environmental Stewards, acting ethically and morally for the benefit of future generations.
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OUR STORY
One of the first Farmers Markets we attended during the summer of 2018.
The Beginning
It all started with FoxTail Farmstead. We began selling coffee in 2018 at the Union County Farmers Market, at the behest of the market manager. When we were asked to begin selling fresh coffee, we began to work with a local roaster to build a curated assortment of ultra-high-quality small batch coffees and premium specialty teas.
Figuring Out Who We Are in 2019
2019 Was our year to develop deeper technical understanding of the science and art of coffee. We updated our brand for the Union County Farmers Market to help unify our identity. The introduction of our new Fox was the linchpin to have an easily recognized local brand. Our growth was rapid — with each milestone we achieved, we developed new goals and challenges to take our business, and coffee, to the next level.
Debuting the revised FoxTail Farmstead branding with our new Fox logo at the Union County Farmers Market. Pictured left to right: Ethan Cain, Asst. Director, Andrew Cain, Owner. Ryan Turnmire, Creative Director.
In 2020 the Union County Farmers Market moved to the Fairgrounds to ensure safe social distancing during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finding Our Way in 2020
For businesses both global and local, the devastating Covid-19 pandemic changed the way we all do things. Developing our plans to stay safe, and to ensure the safety of our customers will have lasting effects far into the future. The time away from the usual hustle and bustle of life allowed us to focus on designing a path forward, and laying the groundwork for greater things to come once the world finds a new balance.
Introducing… SHADED CITY
It was important that we create a coffee specific ideology moving forward — one that would allow us to focus on creating a sustainable coffee business and establish the highest quality standards. We knew for some time that this would mean building an impactful, stand-alone brand for our coffee separate from the Farm.
Our debut in October was a huge success following months of hard work to develop a strong, cohesive identity with purpose. Shaded City’s new brand identity is a modernized version of Art Deco, combining our Technical and Engineering backgrounds with the hopefulness of the roaring twenties, and the clean geometric perfection reminiscent of our ceaseless dedication to quality. We believe even the tiniest detail matters, and take inspiration from all things around us. Our name, Shaded City, for example, comes from the company’s birthplace of Marysville, Ohio — a city with beautiful tree-lined streets that had earned the nickname of “the Shaded City” by the 1880s.
Andrew Cain, owner, at the debut of the new branding on October 10, 2020 in Jerome Village. (Don’t worry — everyone wore masks; this photo was taken safely before the event opened to the public.)
Mmm. That’s some good coffee.
2022–2023 — Café Avalon Experience
Years of hard work, dedication to craft, and building many relationship along the way has lead to our biggest leap forward yet — getting to know Marysville even better. We opened our own limited-time Premium Espresso & Coffee Bar and Café.
From November 12, 2022 through August 31, 2023 Shaded City Café Avalon greeted visitors to the Avalon Theatre in Historic Uptown Marysville with our take on fresh, local, handcrafted coffees.
Our time here truly let us get to know the community and our supporters – many on a first name basis – and gain valuable insight into the needs and desires right here in our hometown. Thank you to everyone who supported our time here, and look forward to great things in the future made possible by the knowledge gained from serving you every day.
2023-2024 A New Roast Experience
Ordered in early 2023, we took delivery of our custom Giesen W1E roaster shortly after the closure of Café Avalon in August. Handmade in Ulft, Netherlands, Giesen is one of the most premier roaster manufacturers in the world. This roaster continues our use of all-electric roasting, however, now in a more traditional way. With a 1.5kg batch size, this roaster allows flexibility in easily roasting sample batches, roasting manually, and roasting automated for roast profile playback to ensure consistent roasts when needing production quantities. Compared to a similarly sized gas roaster, this electric Giesen produces roughly 21% fewer greenhouse gas emissions per pound; reinforcing our goal of sustainable and equitable coffee.
Andrew Cain
Founder & Roast Master
A Marysville local, Andrew inadvertently started into the specialty coffee industry in 2018. Since then he has grown his expertise in roasting and providing small batch, ethically sourced coffee in the Marysville and local communities. With extensive background in Technical Mechanical Engineering, Photography, and Environmental Stewardship he uses his diverse portfolio to create a unique addition to the Union County market.