HANNA CITY, Ill. (WMBD) — A new café is brewing in Hanna City.
For Owner Ron Gulley, he said the opportunity to build a coffee shop fell in his lap.
The “Coffee Can” is a work in progress and is set to open in a few months, Gulley said. Rather than hire developers, Gulley is building it from scratch.
“I buy and rent real estate. So my original plan was going to have a lot here and put a single building on it and rent it out to a coffee entrepreneur,” Gulley said. “But, at that time I could not find anybody that wanted to take that risk. COVID had hit so… we decided to open our own.”
The new coffee shop is being built from old shipping containers. Gulley said he was introduced to the idea.
“A friend of mine brought it to my attention. I kind of told him he was kind of off his rocker. And I started doing some research in it, and after I looked at all the research, I just thought it would be kind of fun to build.”
Ron gulley, co-owner of the coffee can
In total, the shop is made from 10 containers.
Gulley used to work in the HVAC business, but joked that he wanted a more cheerful job.
“My threat always was: I’m tired of business. I want to go and open up a coffee shop. Because everyone in a coffee shop is smiling,” Gulley said. “Everybody in a coffee shop is happy. So it would just seem like the business to open.”
This is Gulley’s first coffee shop, but it may not be his last.
“If the concept takes off, then we have plans of building many more,” Gulley said.
Peoria’s CxT Roasting Company will provide weekly fresh-roasted coffee to the Coffee Can. It will also feature a lounge and dining area, private decks, and a large outdoor deck.
Gulley said the building has been a work in progress for nearly two years.
The shop will also have a two-lane drive-through, and Gulley said he wants it to be as efficient as possible to get coffee to drivers on their morning commute.
