A Local Love Affair with Coffee LEADS TO WALMART
by Seraine Page
Clay Cass knew his coffee was good when customers were walking through dirt mounds to get into his coffee shop in historic downtown
DeLand .
Within two years of opening his Trilogy Coffee Cafe in 2015 , the city began construction right outside the cafe . With sidewalks torn up , dirt piles everywhere and construction equipment blocking entry , it wasn ’ t exactly an easy spot for coffee lovers to get to daily .
But they came anyway , much to the delight of Cass and his wife , Michelle .
“ It ’ s not a matter of if you ’ ll face challenges , but it ’ s when you will ,” says Cass , who has seen his business through multiple floodings , construction and the Covid pandemic .
The key to not getting burned out during those stressful times , says Cass , is to “ have a combination of what your passion is , how it connects with your community and what you ’ re willing to do to see your goals come to life .”
Cass discovered his love of specialty coffee in the early 2000s when a friend introduced him to the experience . His passion started small before expanding into a small space at DaVinci Design Studio and selling coffee at the DeLand Farmers Market in Artisan Alley .
“ The goal was to eventually open a cafe ,” Cass says of the early plans . “ What I didn ’ t know was how our version of coffee would be perceived in DeLand .”
The demand , it turned out , was there . On May 4 , 2015 , the Cass couple opened their first cafe before outgrowing the space again and relocating to the current location on Georgia Avenue .
“ I love the idea of how coffee connects us globally ,” explains Cass . “ It ’ s not just this faceless commodity . Coffee at its best is small communities producing something and connecting with communities like ours .”
As a small-batch coffee roaster , how it gets from bean to cup is anything but a small process . Cass and his team get shipments of 150-pound burlap sacks of raw coffee that look like roasted coffee but are green and smaller . That ’ s when Cass — the head roaster — gets to work measuring , pouring , temperature adjusting and tasting coffee . Each roast lasts between 11 to 13 minutes , with around 20 different adjustments made during the process , Cass explains .
On average , it takes him about two months to perfect a new blend before it ends up on a customer ’ s taste buds , he says . “ It ’ s a craft ; it ’ s part art and part science ,” he explains . Inside Trilogy ’ s Georgia Avenue location , Cass has 10 team members running the shop , including baristas making coffee for those who gather . On any given day , customers sit and chat in the cafe holding various social engagements from book club meetings to business meetings . Some remote workers even make it their office for the day .
Ann Marie Batley , the assistant to the cafe ’ s manager , says she loves working for the family-owned business .
“ My bosses and coworkers mean the world to me ,” she says . “ We all love each other so much that we frequently spend time together outside of work . Working for a family-run business is much more rewarding and exciting . Knowing that your hard work is genuinely appreciated means the world .”
Even after a year of working in a coffee shop , Batley is still delighted by the specialty coffee world .
“ I was surprised by how complex some coffees can be ,” she says , noting that the Colombia Quindio Anaerobic Natural blend is her favorite . “ I ’ ve learned to appreciate coffee so much more .”
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