POCATELLO — A new cafe in downtown Pocatello sells local produce, with a portion of every sale donated to regional nonprofit groups.
Glean Coffee takes its name from the main concepts of the company. As co-owner Emma Theander explained, gleaned coffee beans are the leftover coffee beans that are not collected during harvest and are then collected to be used to benefit a community.
At Glean, every sale has a charitable donation built into the price.
“Consumers and customers can know that everything they buy here is donated to neighbors, supporting their neighbors,” Theander told EastIdahoNews.com. “The concept here is that we glean from every bag of beans sold and every cup of coffee, and we put it back into the community.”
After donating 2,000 meals to the Idaho Food Bank, Glean is now working with the PTSD Veteran Athletes Foundation, an organization that provides outdoor sports equipment and skilled training to veterans for the treatment of PTSD.
Additionally, Theander explained that when purchases are made locally, 70 cents of every dollar spent stays in the community. With this in mind, Glean entered into an agreement to obtain its dairy products from Reed’s Dairy. Pocatello businesses Round River Baking and Murphy’s Charcuterie will soon be supplying food for sale to Glean.
Coffee beans are roasted in the lobby. And the syrups for the drinks are homemade. Currently, Gleans Seasonal Blends include Apple Cinnamon, made with real apples, and Pumpkin Spice, made with pureed pumpkin and freshly ground nutmeg.
“We wanted to be as local as possible,” Theander said. “We’re just excited to be here, we’re excited to grow with Pocatello.”
Glean is the brainchild of two local couples, Jonathan and Emma Theander and Billy and Amanda Chaddock. They started by roasting beans in their garage and selling them at the Pocatello Farmer’s Market this spring.
When they decided to look for a space to expand the business, they found Dude’s Public Market and its owner Jim Young.
Dude’s, located at 240 South Main Street, was designed to be a public gathering place, Theander explained.
While Glean occupies the front of the building, the rear is a large open space filled with tables and chairs. Theander said the plan for the future is to add even more tables and chairs – and potentially a stage for live entertainment.
For now, the building has two distinct atmospheres: the expansive area out back, which Theander says is perfect for gatherings and meetings, and Glean up front, which also has space, like a standard café, so people can sit down with a cup of coffee and study, work or surf the internet.