"Customers and staff are something I'm going to miss just incredibly much."
Kathleen Dueck made that comment just days after handing over the keys to the new owners of Coffee Culture in Steinbach.
In June 2015, Dueck and her husband Bryan opened their new cafe on Steinbach Main Street. Dueck says the two of them had recently moved to Steinbach and felt the city lacked a cafe. The opportunity presented itself for a Coffee Culture restaurant in downtown Steinbach and the Duecks took the opportunity to pursue it.
Opening day was the Friday of Summer in the City and Dueck says the response was overwhelming.
"It was absolutely insane," she says. "We broke all national Coffee Culture records for sales, and it was just an incredible, incredible weekend."
Dueck says Coffee Culture really does have a premium location on Main Street. Located in the Steinbach Credit Union building, she says the cafe receives a lot of support from SCU staff and members.
"We probably couldn't have asked for a better location," she adds.
Dueck says it was about five months ago when they met with a local couple who was interested in possibly buying their cafe. She notes the business was not listed anymore but they met this couple through a mutual friend.
Dueck says after meeting with them, she and Bryan felt positive about moving forward with the sale. And in the weeks that followed, it became increasingly obvious that Coffee Culture would soon be another family's dream. On May 1st, the Duecks handed over the keys to Nimfa and Alvin Villegas.
"They are a local couple, and they have three children that they've raised here in this city," says Dueck. "And they are just an amazing couple that are going to do a great job at running the cafe."
According to Dueck, owning Coffee Culture has been nothing short of amazing.
"I can't say enough about how I appreciate the clientele, the customers that we've had," shares Dueck. "The support they have shown us in the community to get Coffee Culture to where it is today. It's a happening place."
Dueck calls the sale bittersweet. She says on the one hand, it frees her up to spend more time on other passions. Yet, Dueck notes that leaving Coffee Culture is like saying goodbye to family. She says those were emotional days when word started to spread about the sale.
"Staff becomes like my children," she admits. "Mentoring and just helping them and developing them to be the employees they are today has just been such a wonderful opportunity for myself to be a part of."
The Duecks posted the following message to social media earlier this month:
Thank you Steinbach for the past 10 years! Our hearts are full of gratitude for all the love support you have shown us at Coffee Culture! We have been SO blessed to have been business owners in this city. The rumours are true. We have sold our beautiful cafe and it comes with both joy and sadness as we say goodbye to our amazing staff and sooo many amazing customers. We welcome Nimfa and Alvin Villegas as the new owners and extend our warmest wishes for continued success with the cafe.
Dueck says two things she has enjoyed the most over the last 10 years have been serving customers and mentoring staff.
"Bringing these girls in, some for the first job they've ever had, and just making it a positive experience for them," adds Dueck. "Not giving up on some of them, giving them second chances and some of them even third chances. It's been just so rewarding, so incredibly rewarding to be a part of the community in that way."
In looking back at the last 10 years, Dueck says the experience has exceeded her expectations. She notes it allowed her to re-integrate back into a community she had been away from for 26 years, while also helping Bryan, who was new to the community, develop relationships and friendships. Having said that, she notes there were also incredibly difficult times, such as being a business owner during the pandemic.
"(The pandemic) was definitely a struggle but it was also super rewarding to make it through those difficult times," she adds.
Dueck says the decision to sell came down to the fact that she needed to slow down a little. Not only is she a grandmother, but she also runs a horse ranch and Dueck says she was dividing her time too much. She notes Coffee Culture is doing extremely well in Steinbach, making it that much more difficult to want to sell.
"But it was just time to slow down just a little," she says again.
Dueck says she and Bryan will take this coming season to spend more time together. She also plans to ride her horses a little more and possibly dabble in riding lessons again. Dueck says they should also now have more free time to go biking, hiking, and camping.