Celebrating 15 years in the Community

*Update: It's now 2023 and HoJoe Coffee is still going strong!

Coffee is life. The best part of the day is that moment after you've just woken up from your deep slumber and taken that first sip of that hot, soothing beverage. It's the essence that fuels people's days and has become an important part of our culture. Just like the quintessential beverage that everyone has come to love, so too has Hojoe's Coffee become the lifeblood of downtown Kenora.

Hojoe's Celebrates it's 15th year in business and the staff are very excited to have been a part of the community for so long. 

I was fortunate to be able to interview Co-owner Melanie Reynard, who runs the business with her sister Melissa. "Today we celebrate 10 years in the community plus the opening of our new location."

The sisters purchased HoJoe's Coffee and books 6 years ago and it has been their home away from home ever since. It was always Melanie's dream to own a cafe with a coffee bar and eatery so naturally, when the opportunity came to purchase Hojoe's Coffee on downtown Main Street in 2009, she was ecstatic to finally see her dream come to life "Our friend introduced us to the London Fog... and they were so good that I ended up putting the word out that I was interested in buying Hojoe's."

The rest is history

Her desire was to create a cozy environment for her customers; a place reminiscent of home and family. Over the years they've found that the community has welcomed them with open arms - it's better than they had ever expected. Hojoe's has become a staple for many people in Kenora - A place where they can go to see a familiar face and feel welcome. "We expected to be a part of it (the community) in our little Hojoe's environment... but now it's spread to the entire community."

The most anticipated part of their day is seeing the smiles on the faces of their loyal clientele. "It's always great to see the ladies who come in on Thursday morning... we're important to them and they're important to us as well."

Their presence on social media has increased their popularity in the community by a huge amount. In this last year alone Hojoe's client base has increased by half, and continues to rise with each passing day. Hojoe's recently moved locations just down the street from its original venue. The purpose of the new location was to downsize as well as to create a more comfortable environment.

"When we had the retail as well as the eatery - it was hard to do both." Now with the new space, the owners can focus on their customers. Their clientele has responded with an enormous amount of support. "They love it just as much as we do," Melanie says with overwhelming joy. Customers love the new feel; the colours and environment make them feel at home.

To celebrate Hojoe's 10th year in the community, the staff have decided to donate $1 from their flagship drink: the frozen hot chocolate. Hojoe's chose to donate to the Fellowship Centre to help those in need. Their anticipated goal for the fundraiser is $500 dollars - they've seen an huge amount of support and hope to carry it throughout the day so that they can reach their goal.

Make sure you stop by Hojoe's Coffee for a fresh cup and support your local business.

The coffee's on. 

Hojoe's on Facebook

Hojoe's on Twitter

Hojoe's on IG

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