BeanBerry Cafe, a coffee shop known for its bubble waffles and variety of coffee drinks, has closed.
The cafe, located on Main Street, opened this past October and served “selfieccinos” — a cappuccino with a person’s photo printed into the coffee’s foam. The owners announced BeanBerry’s closure in a Dec. 31 Facebook post.
“We are sad to announce that we’ve had to close our doors,” the post reads. “Thank you to everyone who’s shown us love and support since we opened. We’d also like to give a big thank you to our amazing staff for always going above and beyond for us as well as our customers.”
Owners Wes and Issa Baiz, two brothers who previously owned cafes in Toledo and Bowling Green, Ohio, opened BeanBerry on Oct. 15, 2019 to serve students and Ann Arbor residents organic, naturally sourced coffee. BeanBerry Cafe did not respond to requests for comment on the reasons behind the store’s closure.
BeanBerry focused on providing customers natural and environmentally sustainable products in addition to the coffee shop’s signature waffles and drinks. Speaking to The Daily in October, Wes Baiz said BeanBerry used bamboo straws in place of plastic and served food solely in compostable containers, even if these products cost more than plastic alternatives.
“For us, it’s not about profit margins,” Baiz said. “We have to have some, but we truly believe that if we deliver the best that we can, people will support us. We’re always going to stick to our values and our belief system because yes, we have the compostable products, but we also care about the people too.”
Kandace Rickard, an Ann Arbor resident, initially visited the cafe to try the selfieccinos and sampled the bubble tea and bubble waffles as well. Rickard said she enjoyed everything she tried at Beanberry and was surprised to hear the shop was closing.
“I’ve only been there once, but I’d been following them on Instagram since before they opened and I honestly didn’t see that coming,” Rickard said. “I hope that maybe they’ll move to another location and try reopening again.”