Cool City Brewing Company Opens in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, through Crimson Cup’s 7 Steps to Success Coffee Shop Startup Program

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They chose a historic location that originally housed Two Rivers Savings Bank. Its last tenant, Wells Fargo, vacated the property in 2018. It sat empty until the partners brought the dark building, in the heart of the community, back to life.

Today, Cool City Brewing Company entices locals to gather downtown with specialty coffee drinks, local craft beer, bar beverages and creative comfort food.

“Cool City Brewing Company connects people to the heart of downtown Two Rivers in a space with the perfect blend of craft food and drinks, in an atmosphere unlike any other in Manitowoc County,” said Curt Andrews.

The spacious café and brew pub is the perfect setting for relaxing with friends and enjoying an extensive menu of specialty coffee drinks, local craft brews, shareable food flights and local desserts.

The new venture assembled a team of 50 associates despite a scarcity of workers in the local economy.

“Building our team has meant paying more, training more, starting them early to build a culture,” said Jean Andrews. “Our success is a testament to the culture we’re creating and the way we take care of our people.”

As serial entrepreneurs, the Andrews and Krahn families brought diverse backgrounds to developing Cool City Brewing.

The Krahns own wedding venues in Two Rivers and Green Bay. The Andrews owned six sports clips franchises in Green Bay, which they sold to fund the project and to support economic development in their hometown.

With no coffee experience, the couples sought a full-service coffee partner to teach them how to open a coffee shop and help them grow their business.

They chose the 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program offered by Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.

“Before signing with Crimson Cup, we interviewed several coffee companies as we looked for a turnkey solution,” said Barry Krahn. “We went with Crimson Cup because their core product is terrific, and the references we spoke to had nothing but great things to say.”

“From the layout and design of the coffee bar to purchasing equipment to the way they spell out all the ‘simple’ stuff, Crimson Cup has helped us every step of the way,” he added.

7 Steps Project Manager and Trainer Steve Bayless helped design the Cool City coffee bar, then traveled to Twin Rivers the week before the soft opening.

There, he taught the partners and their baristas to prepare drinks and to run the coffee house, staying through opening day to ensure everything ran well.

“Having a trainer on site is huge!” said Curt Andrews. “It was great to go through all the recipes as a team and to learn the efficient dance of preparing drinks and serving them to customers.”

After a successful opening, the Andrews and Krahn families invite everyone in Two Rivers and Manitowoc County to visit Cool City Brewing Company.

"We are thrilled to bring our passion for coffee and craft beer to the community of Two Rivers," said Curt Andrews. "We hope that Cool City Brewing Company becomes a place for people to gather and connect over a great cup of coffee or a cold beer."

Gina Krahn emphasized the partners’ goals of reconnecting families and revitalizing downtown Twin Rivers.

“We invite you, and your family, young and old, to stop in, put your phone down, and engage in much needed authentic conversation,” she said. “It’s time for your family to reconnect, and time to connect with friends, old and new!”

“Our vision for Cool City Brewing Company is for it to be the legacy that sped up the downtown revitalization movement in Two Rivers,” she added.

Cool City Brewing is open morning through evening six days a week at 1718 West Park Street in Two Rivers. The restaurant has indoor seating for 140 customers, plus space for another 80 on an outside patio. A drive-thru window serves coffee and food to go.

For updates on hours, menus, events and more, visit the Cool City Brewing Facebook page.

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazine’s 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup – driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into coffee shop startup costs.

Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.