10 | May 2014 • www.specialty-coffee.com
SHOP SECRETS
Chaska Dunn Brothers:
Brewing Community
BY N I C H O L A S U P TO N
C
reating a community gathering place is a complicated
affair. Academics, city boards and think tanks struggle
to develop a welcoming community environment. Mike Webb
and the staff at the Chaska, Minnesota Dunn Brothers, on the
other hand, make it look easy. So what arcane secrets do they
hold? What should those think tanks be thinking about?
"Have fun, smile and give back," Webb says. He has long
been engrained in the community: a city councilman of 16
years, a director on the board of a local hospital and a member
of the local public safety task force, he's the first person to say
he's a "busy guy."
To keep the shop running smooth, he says that creating a
great community in house is the linchpin of the operation.
"I know how to hire. Prior to this, I was an executive
recruiter. My job was to marry people together," Webb says.
"When I came in here, I knew what I wanted to work with."
e staff of 10 is a tight-knit group. Store manager Amy Van
Eps says that Dunn Brothers alumni just stick around.
"A lot of people who work on the weekends do it because
they worked here before when they were in college or in high
school and loved the atmosphere and wanted to stay," says Van
Eps, who says the coffee is good, but it's not the reason the
shop has so many diehard fans. "People don't just come in here
for the coffee—although they really enjoy the coffee—they
come in here for the interaction and the atmosphere that you
don't get at many of the other local coffee shops."
Customers peruse the
cooler, where a mix of
franchise and local
goods sets the Chaska
location apart.
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