The small town of Cedarville, Ohio—population 4000—may not be on your specialty coffee map just yet, but hear us out! We think that should change after today. Sprudge Media Network’s international Sprudge Maps program is out there looking for incredible coffee bars near and far, in towns large and not-so-large. Which is how we found out about Orion Coffee & Tea, a little coffee bar with a big commitment to drink quality and offering a world-class coffee experience to the people of Cedarville, including students and faculty at Cedarville University.
We spoke digitally with Orion Coffee owner Eric Irwin to learn more.
Want your cafe to be considered for a Sprudge Maps Spotlight? All you have to do is register your shop for Sprudge Maps, our user-driven compendium of coffee shops around the globe. And the best part is, it’s completely free! Sign up today!
Introduce yourself to our readers—tell us about your cafe!
My name is Eric Irwin. We purchased an existing coffee shop two years ago. The coffee shop has been around for 12 years now. Our cafe is located in a small college town in rural Ohio. Until recently we roasted our own coffee in the cafe. Just this month, we relocated our roaster to our new roastery. We offer a full-service espresso bar, many blends and single origin coffees on drip and pour-over, cold brew, muffins we bake in house, and bagels we purchase from a small bagel shop in Cincinnati.
What equipment do you use in your shop?
Our espresso machine is a two-group Nuova Simonelli, Nuova Simonelli Mythos Grinder, Curtis G3 Twin Brewer. We use Kalita Waves for our pour-overs.
Which roaster or roasters do you serve?
We roast our own coffee, Orion Coffee And Tea. Soon, we will be adding our sister Roasting Brand, Strider Coffee Roasters, focused on adding more micro-lots and farm specific relationships.
What is the neighborhood like where you’re located? What’s some other cool stuff nearby?
We are located downtown, right along a creek. We have a deck that overlooks the creek, and is an amazing place to spend time in the warmer months. We are very close to some cool hiking trails, and a small waterfall.
Did you close during a mandated Coronavirus shutdown, and if so, for how long?
We didn’t have to close during the Coronavirus shutdown. For a few months, we did take-out only. This helped to keep our baristas and roaster working. Thankfully, we had online ordering in place prior to the pandemic, so this was a huge asset for us and our customers.
How has Coronavirus impacted daily work at your cafe?
We do a lot more cleaning and sanitizing daily. As a cafe, we already had a strict cleaning schedule, but we increased the frequency of cleaning/sanitizing. We also keep track of our employees’ health more closely. If they have been exposed to the coronavirus, they quarantine in accordance with our local health department. Masks have been worn by our employees since May while at work. We take exposure and potential spread of the virus very seriously.
What’s something cool or unique about your cafe you want folks to know?
Sitting on our deck overlooking the creek is very cool! If you like hiking or bike riding, we have many trails very close to the cafe, and our cafe is an excellent stop to refresh and recover.
Is there a community organization or charity you’d like to shout-out as part of this feature?
We partner with many student organizations from Cedarville University to help with different community outreach programs. One organization we work with frequently is SNPhA, which provide education to the community on many different health and social matters (mental health, human trafficking, suicide awareness, etc.)
Thank you!
Want your cafe featured in a Sprudge Maps Spotlight? Register your shop for Sprudge Maps, our user-driven compendium of coffee shops around the globe. It’s completely free. Sign up today!
Sprudge Maps is a beta project brought to you by the team at the Sprudge Media Network in partnership with La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series. Work on Sprudge Maps informs our ongoing partnership with Apple.
