As you may have heard, Parkville Coffee assumed new ownership in June of 2017. Former owner and founder, Josh Brock opened Parkville Coffee in March of 2010. Two years later, he hired an English writing major from Park University to start as a Barista. She had been working in financial services and being a writer, needed to leave that job to one that would allow her to have the energy for her creative side.
Little did they know that five years later, Kristin Helling would end up purchasing the shop and roasting operation from Josh. Kristin had never worked in coffee before she started as a barista back in 2012. She learned very quickly that this was an industry she could make a career in. She loved the story of coffee. She loved the global connection the beans provided, and the process from farm to cup. She loved the people of Parkville that she could connect with each day.
Over the years, she worked her way up through the company, from barista to shift leader, shift leader to assistant manager, and eventually manager for a few years before assuming ownership. Working as a manager, she saw a lot of the operations first hand (and helped develop a few, such as the training program) and was therefore able to continue operations without interruption. Throughout the whole process, it was very important that the customer’s experience was not compromised, no matter what was going on in the background.
The values that are important to Kristin through Parkville Coffee are community first and foremost, followed closely by quality (of our service and products), and lastly approachability (that we can cater to the businessmen/women in a hurry on their way to work, or the coffee connoisseur).
Kristin hopes to bring a fresh perspective of passion for people and coffee to the business. She plans to expand our wholesale roasting operation, as well as our catering department (offering a full-service traveling latte bar), as well as keeping the authenticity of our coffeehouse on Main Street alive.
Next year, Parkville Coffee celebrates 10 years of calling historic downtown Parkville our home, and you better believe there will be a party! Thank you for allowing us to continue to serve you.
