Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters expands into Sandwich

SANDWICH — During normal times, Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters in Brewster is filled to the brim with people sipping coffee, chatting, or diving deep into a novel. But the normally cozy, eclectically decorated space has been void of customers since spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Instead, to follow safety regulations, owners Shayna Ferullo and Manuel Ainzuain, who opened the cafe in 2015, shifted and set up a take-out business.

It has been quite a year, Ferrullo said. “Now, we have another start to an interesting year.” 

The owners decided to expand their coffee shop business to Sandwich where construction has already begun. The idea of opening a second cafe came before the pandemic, Ferullo said. The small coffee roaster that is typically on display in the Brewster location, was quite frankly, too small. It does not have the capacity to meet customer demand.

At first, they thought about getting a commercial space to hold a larger roaster, but they loved the idea of customers being able to see it and see the process of how their coffee is made — from raw bean to brew.

In September 2019, they found a new location in the former Legit Lacrosse store at 161 Route 6A. Everything was in motion to lease the building when the novel coronavirus arrived.

“When the pandemic hit we put everything on pause,” Ferullo said. 

After much thought, the couple decided to sign the lease last September and began retrofitting the structure.

“It’s an awesome location,” Ferullo said, adding that it's in the heart of Sandwich and on a busy road.

The couple — who admitted to living in their bubble in Brewster — were surprised, when scouting new locations, by the size of Sandwich’s year-round population and how businesses seem to be booming in the area. The town has its own unique charm and the couple is excited to become part of a new community, she said. 

After learning some business lessons from the pandemic on how to be more efficient with space, Ferullo said they completely scrapped their initial plans for the Sandwich store. 

Beforehand, the plan was to have chairs and tables sprinkled throughout the entire building but now, there is going to be one horizontal bar towards the back with seating spaced out in the front. The store will also feature the custom-designed coffee roaster and, if the pandemic continues, a large garage door will open to allow air circulation. 

If the construction goes as planned the Sandwich location is expected to open sometime in April, hopefully, when the general public becomes eligible to get vaccinated for COVID-19, Ferullo said. 

“Fingers crossed,” she said. “That would be amazing.”

Ferullo and Ainzuain lived  in San Francisco before they moved to the Cape in 2013. It had always been a dream of Ferullo’s to one day open a coffee roastery, she said. 

In order to tell the stories behind the coffee they sell, the couple buys coffee beans directly from a network of farmers. 

The specialty coffee beans are imported mainly from South American small-lot growers and cooperatives, which allows the couple to offer high-grade, freshly roasted and meticulously prepared coffees, Ferullo said. 

Alongside operating the coffee shop and take-out service in Brewster, Ferullo runs the company's online business. The online store has done well financially and is helping the business survive the pandemic, she said. 

Customers can buy coffee beans and get them shipped directly to their homes, along with other merchandise such as mugs, T-shirts and hats, Ferullo said. The business also sells their roasted beans at select markets and stores across Cape Cod, she said. 

“I can’t help but just feel so lucky,” Ferullo said. 

Businesses have to pivot and be smart about what they invest in, and those that have, have done well, she said. 

Although people have stopped lounging in coffee stores they haven’t stopped drinking coffee, Ferullo said. The Coffee Club, which sends a curated box of Snowy Owl coffee to people’s homes, has grown, creating a different sales channel and source of revenue, she said. 

After listening to the podcast, "How I Built This", which poses the questions to business owners about whether their success was due to luck or hard work, Ferullo thinks it has been a bit of both. Although Ferullo and Ainzuain have put in a lot of effort, so have many other businesses that have failed on Cape Cod, she said.

“It has to be both," she said. "You have to have luck.” 

Contact Beth Treffeisen at btreffeisen@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @BTreffeisenCCT.