This year Cafe 62 has made big changes for the students and the environment. Over the summer Benedictine College decided to upgrade their dining options for students and faculty on campus. The college is working with Aladdin Campus Dining to give students various and fresher options to choose from.
Aladdin Dining services has brought a new vendor to Cafe 62 to take the place of its former
supplier, Java City. The new vendor, Ecogrounds has updated Cafe 62 with a new menu, new coffee, and a sleek new look to the brand.
A senior at Benedictine College, Janie Fechter said, “Ecogrounds has given Cafe 62 a little
facelift,” referring to the renovations within the store.
Ecogrounds is a coffee bean company that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. They are providing Cafe 62 with a variety of different blends of espresso and drip coffee.
The company is moving towards making the coffee business more sustainable and giving their customers trustworthy ingredients. After each bag of espresso is used the packaging is stored away in boxes to be shipped back to the company and later composted. Not only are the espresso bags compostable, but the coffee cups are as well. The cups are made of compostable and renewable fibers that are harmless to the environment.
Their coffee beans are Fair Trade, Organic certified, and Rainforest Alliance which gives
students clean ingredients to get through the day with. They partner with coffee bean farmers and know exactly where each bean is coming from and how it is being grown.
The supervisor at Cafe 62, Lauren Kennedy said, “I like how eco-friendly they are. It is
reassuring to know that what we are serving to our customers is fresh and creates less waste”. “I like how we store the empty packing instead of just throwing it away. It is a nice contribution to the environment and what Ecogrounds is trying to achieve,” She said.
Eco Grounds has also brought many new drinks to the menu at Cafe 62 that are very popular on campus. The new menu offers real fruit refreshers, matcha green tea smoothies, flavored cold foam and updated variations of customer favorites.
Janie Fechter spoke about her favorite drink at Cafe 62. “They had refreshers last year but they are different this year. They now have dried fruit in them which I think makes the drink better”.
A senior and frequent customer of Cafe 62, Mary Kate Kocourek said, “I like to try something new each time I get a coffee. Even though I get something new each time, I can taste the difference in the new espresso, it is a lot higher quality now.”
Although Ecogrounds has added more options to the menu, there are a few customer favorites that will no longer be served. The famous Italian sodas and the ultimate vanilla latte has been taken off the menu leaving some students disheartened.
“I miss the handwritten menu and a few drinks that really gave Cafe 62 its character,” Fechter said.“However, I think the upgrade is a positive change for the campus and students,” she said.
Ecogrounds is taking steps toward a green future at Benedictine College that is important to the community when fueling and serving students. The partnership has given Cafe 62 customers and staff a fresh start to the year with the new cosmetics, ingredients, and values that bring new life to the beloved coffee shop.
