Carabello Coffee Hopes to Plant Roots in the Coffee Making Industry for Generations to Come
Whether you’re trying Skyline Chili or Graeter’s Ice Cream or enjoying a Cincinnati Reds game, Carabello Coffee hopes to become a must-see experience for locals and out-of-towners.
Emily Carabello and her husband Justin Carabello, the owners of Carabello Coffee, have hopes of being added to the list.
“If we could be anything, we would be the kind of company that when you have a friend visit Cincinnati, you would say, okay, there’s some places that I have to take you,” said Emily Carabello.
Carabello Coffee, located at 107 E. 9th Street, Newport, Kentucky, has been a part of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky community for nearly a decade.
However, the journey of Carabello Coffee’s rich history began many years before its brick-and-mortar location.
Ironically, the Carabello couple met on a blind date at Rohs Street Cafe in Clifton. At the time, they did not know that they would get married and turn a part-time home business into a thriving coffee shop for hundreds of customers to enjoy.
“It was not on our radar when we met or when we got married,” said Carabello.
However, a group of friends with a Ziplock bag full of roasted coffee would soon change everything.
The group of friends visited the Carabellos in their home and brought over roasted coffee that was made at home on a popcorn popper.
“My husband was kind of like, yeah, that’s gonna be gross. I’ll be nice to them, and I’ll drink it after dinner. And then when he had it, he was shocked because it was so good,” she said.
Immediately her husband became intrigued by the process of how the coffee was made and began his own research.
“Carabello Coffee started in a garage in the fall of 2009 with a philanthropic vision, a hot air popcorn popper and a few pounds of green coffee beans,” according to Carabello Coffee.
Despite Justin Carabello being a band director and Emily Carabello being an art teacher, it didn’t take long for their hobby to turn into a full-blown venture. Eventually, Carabello Coffee became their full-time job.
From selling coffee to other teachers at school to selling coffee at Anderson Farmers’ Market, four years later, Carabello Coffee found a home at the Newport location for everyone to enjoy.
Since then, Carabello Coffee has blossomed. Carabello Coffee not only offers a variety of coffees, espressos and treats, but a wide range of classes as well.
“I think coming out of education as a background felt very natural to us. We also felt like it really helped. We liked the idea of educating our customers and helping them grow in our coffee journey,” she said.
The busier the cafe became, the more one-on-one in depth conversations revolving around the process of coffee started to fade, Carabello explained.
As a result, Carabello Coffee classes were born. After nearly a decade of teaching classes to the public, Carabello Coffee has found that Latte Art Basics, Beginners Brew Like A Pro at Home and Coffee Mocktails 101 are three classes that have received the most attention.
Latte Art Basics, the most popular class offered, is specifically created for everyone to achieve their latte art goals. Whether you are an expert or a novice, this class will cover all your needs for latte art basics.
Beginners Brew Like A Pro at Home teaches participants how to make their favorite coffee creations at home. The class will consist of a variety of lessons that include how to brew coffee on a Chemex, Clever Dripper and AeroPress.
The class will also introduce important factors that are a part of the process of making coffee, such as why water quality is important, the importance of water temperature, and helpful tactics to improve the coffee flavor.
For those who love making vibrant drinks but prefer non-alcoholic drinks, Coffee and Mocktails 101 is the perfect selection for you. This class will help you perfect your coffee and tea mocktails.
Classes are selling out quickly, so if you are interested, sign up for a class today. For information about classes or to register for a class, click here.
“I think my husband and I really view this as our legacy. We hope that this company outlasts us. We hope that we can hand it down to other people,” said Carabello.
