2022 – 23 Holiday Hours

Sat 12/24:  8am-5pm

Sun 12/25: CLOSED

                                Mon 12/26:  9am-6pm

                         Sat 12/31:  8am-5pm

                      Sun 1/1:  9am-6pm

 

 

Our Back Patio is now covered and expanded!

More room & more seating makes this covered spot a real destination!

Enjoy the light and breeze of the outdoors covered from the elements while sipping your coffee, tea or wine/beer!

Thanks to Brian Plaster & crew for making this dream a reality.

Generational Relationship with Carrboro Coffee Roasters’ Producer-Partners continues with Finca Jazmin in Honduras

Relationship Building Spans Generations for Carrboro Coffee Roasters and Finca Jazmin in Marcala, Honduras

After many years for working directly with farmers in coffee growing countries, Carrboro Coffee Roaster President Scott Conary celebrated the first ever Origin of Denomination seal awarded to the coffee grown in Marcala, Honduras (think Napa branding for wine from that region) at the cultural fair put on for that honor. During this period, and in talks with an all-women coffee growing Co-Op (COMUCAP), he arranged with one of the organizers to have one of the young members come to the CCR Roastery in Carrboro and be trained in all things coffee/retail.

It was then, Over 12 years ago, that Nancy Hernandez left her country for the first time and was sponsored by Carrboro Coffee Roasters to learn her trade; beyond coffee growing. She wanted to learn all she could in the 10 days she was in USA about coffee roasting, espresso preparation and coffee brewing, and any other retail experience she could take home to Marcala in order to open her very own Cafe. Soft spoken but knowledgeable Nancy (who spoke no English) also shared her viewpoint with area residents and staff so they could put the pieces together for what really needs to happen in the farming/processing side of coffee, before it gets to us as green coffee to roast.

2009

10 years later, she has 5 coffee shops and is actively selling an amazing high quality coffee from her farm, derived form years of hard work, to select roasters around the world. While we stayed in touch over the years and I have visited her in Honduras; 2016 marked the first time she could return to visit CCR again, the starting place of her retail coffee education! Even more amazing was to be visited along with her daughter Angelica, who at 12 was already starting to be an amazing coffee professional herself!

2016

For CCR, this is but one example of the supportive work we have done over the past several decades, but a quintessential one, as it clearly shows our larger goals of creating a broad economic base for all of our Farmer Partners that allow for greater long term, and truly sustainable, relationships for them, their families and their communities. This isn’t just about buying a coffee once or even twice ( though we do value delicious, unique, high quality coffee…), but about safeguarding the future in all forms. For us this started as an investment with a young Nancy, and now extends to her daughter, their family and their community at large.

Now, in 2021, we have had the honor of a return trip by Nancy and her brother, along with Angelica her daughter. This time it is Angelica who will stay to work with us for 3 weeks to absorb all the details we can supply, so that best practices and a new level of skill & knowledge can be brought back to their town of Marcala, and shared with the people of Honduras.

                                                                                                                                      2021

Our tag line is ‘Coffee Unites the World’ and we strive every day to make that true. Sometimes the effect is immediate and observable, and sometimes, like coffee, it too is a seed that is planted for future hope.

Since 2015 we have been working with Nancy to offer her own farms’ coffee – Finca Jazmin.  This coffee is amazingly balanced. The care that went into it’s growth and processing, that we tease out with careful and expert roasting, shows in its amazing tropical fruit sweetness and lovely floral and brown sugar qualities. While we have many more examples of our hard-earned Farmer Direct Relationship coffees available, this one has an amazing, full circle quality that really epitomizes all the years of effort, travel, and actual blood, sweat & tears invested in what we lovingly call ‘work’.

This is a special relationship that we strive to share with all of our partners, to have the unique qualities that are exhibited in this program put at the forefront of our company ideals and mission statement. We are willing to go to the lengths necessary to fulfill them & provide hope and a path for the future.

Iced Ethiopia Guji Pourover!!!

0ur ACE National Award Winning pour-over coffee, Ethiopia Guji, is now available hot or ICED!

This delightful Natural process coffee is fantastic over ice 🧊🧊 with notes of fruit and berries, a sugar cane sweetness and silky body, it’s the perfect warm weather drink!

Available now for a limited time!

Order in-store, online or on our Toast Takeout App.

https://www.facebook.com/Open-Eye-Cafe-99520276597/videos/4322371821120848

Now Offering Carrboro Coffee Roasters Winter Solstice Seasonal Blend!

Carrboro Coffee Roasters carefully paired three of their distinct Farmer Direct Relationship coffees as a representation of their personal relationships with coffee producer-partners, who are such an integral part of how CCR works and supports the coffee industry, and the people in it.

CCR have blended 3 individually delightful Farmer Direct Relationship coffees, from 3 distinct farms, that together create something unique and timely for this season of gathering and reflection.

Together these coffees present a luscious red fruit sweetness and acidity that is balanced by a wonderful caramel and chocolate base, a round silky body, and a dash of seasonal baking spice in the finish.

This blend offers a delicious experience that represents the unity and comforts of the season!

This makes a great gift on it’s own or paired with a mug or a Chemex brewer!

Available in the Cafe or online to ship to family & friends.

Winter Solstice Blend

Celebrate Your Civic Duty with an Open EYE (I) Voted Cup of Coffee!

Missing your “I Voted” sticker?

We have you covered with our specially stamped ‘EYE (I) voted’ cups!

Come get your cup on Election Day ( 11/3) when we will be giving away one free 8oz brewed coffee per customer!

Then, snap a selfie with your cup, and tag us in it on social media to be entered to win our election season raffle box, packed with goodies!

Raffle prize includes an Open Eye Cafe T-Shirt, 8oz of Finca El Balam, $25 OE gift card, a CCR Diner mug and Lo & Behold Naturals Espresso Lip Balm (made with Carrboro Coffee Roasters Piedmont Espresso).

Be sure to post those photos before the end of business day (6pm) on Wednesday November 4th to be eligible to win.

Open Eye Cafe Reopens with Adjusted Hours!

We are reopening with adjusted hours!

We have been working closely with the OC Health Dept and staff to assure the safety of staff and customers.

We are cleared to re-open after having deep-cleaned the Cafe and tested all staff. All this, paired with our standard prevention/sanitization policies, ensure a safe environment
for everyone in our community to visit!

We will be working with adjusted hours as we build back up:

Mon 10/26 – Thur 10/29 8am – 2pm
Fri 10/30 7am – 6pm
Sat 10/31 – Sun 11/1 8am – 6pm

We would like to thank our community for being so supportive as we worked through this situation in a way that was safest for all.
We also appreciate the OC Health Dept for guiding this process, and all of our wonderful neighbor businesses for being there for us!

Open Eye Cafe Opens Up Front & Back Patios Outside!

Have you heard the news? We’re reopening our front and back patio!

As always, safety is our #1 priority – seating will continue to stay spaced out at least 6 feet apart and we ask that neither tables nor chairs are moved from their designated spots.

Masks are required until you reach the table and must be put back on before leaving the table, in other words – please only remove your mask when actively seated.

Each table will have a two-sided sign, one side green and the other red.

Red means stop and green means go – easy to remember!

🟢 Tables that have been sanitized and are ready for use will have the sign green side up.

🔴 If you see a table with the red side of the sign facing up, please see a staff member for sanitizing before sitting.

As you leave your table, please flip the sign over to the red side indicating that the table needs to be sanitized…After all, teamwork is dream work!

Open Eye Cafe Raises $500 for NC Black Alliance with Community Help!

Thanks to your participation in our retail bag fundraiser, we were able to raise $500 for

North Carolina Black Alliance
With this donation NCBA will be able to continue working toward state-level systemic change by strengthening the network of elected officials representing communities of color throughout the state.

Thank you for your generous support and stay tuned for our next fundraiser!