Barista Café in Suffield filling niche for coffee lovers
Shalu and Ajay Malhotra bring a world of knowledge into the cafe they opened in the heart of Suffield just this past March.
The couple is from India, but lived in Germany and Switzerland before moving to Suffield approximately six years ago with their three children. They purchased the building in the town’s center that houses Webster Bank and other businesses, and filled the end unit themselves with a unique cafe, despite having no food service experience. They simply thought a well-planned and well-designed coffee shop would do well in Suffield, where there aren’t many similar businesses.
“We had been thinking about it for a while,” Ajay said. “We bought this building in 2019, and had been keeping this spot for a cafe.”
The pandemic halted plans for the shop, but as restrictions lifted, the plan was back on again.
Barista Cafe imports its coffee beans from India, via Burlington Coffee Company in Lee, Massachusetts.
“We can tell our customers the entire history of their coffee beans,” Ajay said. “We know exactly the farm in India where our beans were grown.”
Barista Cafe also serves a variety of teas, sandwiches, croissants, salads, and desserts - including a selection of gelato. They get their culinary advice from friends and relatives, here and across the world. They also listen to their customers, for what items they’d like to see on the menu.
They also sell fresh German breads from G Cafe Bakery in New Haven, which Ajay describes as different than American or other breads.
“German bread is not a soft bread. It has a hard crust and infusion of olives or figs... they’re a rye bread, primarily,” he said.
“We wanted to give Americans a new taste,” Shalu said. “Our sandwich recipes are from South America, mixed with India. It’s also very European.”
The decor is welcoming and relaxing, resembling a living room more than a restaurant. The construction was all done by local contractors and the walls are covered with work by local artists, most of which is for sale.
So far, business has been good, as well as the feedback.
“We’ve been very busy,” Ajay said, adding that they are still learning what times the cafe will be busy and staffing accordingly, including the morning rush and after schools let out in the afternoon.
“Mornings are very busy for us, then lunch time gets very busy, too,” Ajay said. “We get very good feedback. We already have a very loyal customer base. In the seven to eight weeks we’ve been open, we already have 900 rewards members. We have people who sit here and work in the morning. We have students who come here as soon as school finishes - they get gelato and milkshakes.”
They may have found their niche, as customers come from not just Suffield, but surrounding towns as well, looking for the comfortable cafe experience.
“You shouldn’t have to drive an hour, back and forth, just to get a coffee,” Ajay said. “We get a lot of people from Agawam and Enfield. We get online orders from Longmeadow, Granby, Windsor Locks.”
Shalu joked that while a nationally-known coffee seller advertises that America runs on their coffee, that will soon change.
“In a few months, it will be ‘America runs on Barista Cafe,’” she said.
Future plans include adding beer and wine to the menu, and making the outdoor seating area resemble a beer garden.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/BaristaCafeSuffield/.
