14
July
2018
|
10:00 AM
America/New_York

10 years of Cocoa Beanery, 10 years of serving the community

Summary

Join Cocoa Beanery as it celebrates 10 years of serving the Hershey-area community. On Friday, July 20 during Live On The Lawn enjoy complimentary cake and coffee from 6 to 8 p.m. You will want to arrive early for cake. Slices are limited and it will be baked by the award-winning Chef Cher Harris, executive pastry chef at The Hotel Hershey!

Since its opening in 2008, Cocoa Beanery has seen a number of changes and a great deal of growth. The menu has expanded, volume of customers has increased and range of programs has grown. However, one thing has always remained constant throughout the shop’s 10 years: community. When the Cocoa Beanery initially opened a decade ago, its purpose was to serve the Central Pennsylvania community. Still today, this remains clear and consistent through every detail of the shop.

A Locally Sourced Menu

Cocoa Beanery prides itself on not only serving the community, but also supporting it. This can be seen firsthand when looking at the menu, which is full of local treats. In the case, you’ll find kombucha from Lititz, popcorn from New Holland and granola from Palmyra. Square One Coffee is a guest favorite from Lancaster, as well as Sarah’s Snacks from York. These items represent the diverse group of local customers Cocoa Beanery serves and supports.

Events Designed to Bring the Community Together

Cocoa Beanery hosts a number of events each week designed to bring the community together. These events, which are open to all members of the public, are intended to provide a place for neighbors to gather, mingle and connect. On Wednesday mornings, community members are invited to come together for a yoga class. On Thursdays and Fridays, music from local bands fills the grass outside the shop at Live On The Lawn. During these shows, guests are invited to browse the Farmers Market In Hershey, where Central Pennsylvania vendors offer the freshest produce and treats in town.

Old Standbys and New Brews

Cocoa Beanery maintains customer favorites, such as the California Turkey Sandwich, but also listens to trends and ideas in the coffee industry in order to provide new items for guests. For example, Cocoa Beanery introduced nitro coffee in 2017. This smooth drink is poured from a tap, like beer, but fills cups with a creamy, nitrogen-infused java made from a cold brew base. Cocoa Beanery is one of the only coffee shops in the area that serves this unique drink.

A Rich, Local History Maintained

Beyond the ten-year history of Cocoa Beanery, the space itself is incredibly rich in the community’s history. The building first appeared on a map of Dauphin County printed in 1858. Based on the Italiante design of the original brickwork, Englewood Farm House was likely built in the 1840s. The house was then sold to the Hershey Industrial School for one dollar.

The school, now known as Milton Hershey School, built a framed addition and basement and reopened Englewood Farm House in 1933 as a student home. This home operated until 1967, pausing once for a three-year renovation.

After its closing, the house was leased to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for office space and was later used as a shelter for Women in Crisis. Today, Englewood Farm House serves the community as Cocoa Beanery and as part of the Hershey Center for Applied Research Campus.

A Space for Every Occasion

Family breakfasts, study sessions, first dates and graduation parties -- nearly every occasion you can imagine has occurred at Cocoa Beanery. The space can be rented out for events such as class reunions and parties, where the team works to develop a custom menu perfect for the event. Day to day, however, it is the smaller scale events that have made Cocoa Beanery so special over the past decade. Each guest’s respective moments at Cocoa Beanery have contributed to the unique coffee shop it is today. Because of the strong community Cocoa Beanery serves, it will certainly be as strong as its cold brew for many decades to come.