MANSFIELD ─ Sarah Miller opened a coffee shop with the hope of making a difference with customers.
The shop, Barrington Café, started serving on March 15. It’s located at 13 Park Ave. West, inside the Barrington One building. It serves coffee, refresher, smoothie and many other items.
Miller said the shop uses coffee beans from Gobena Coffee. The Illinois-based brand invests in orphaned children’s lives around the world with all its net profits, according to the company’s website.
Orphans’ welfare became dear to Miller’s heart after she came back from a mission trip to Haiti years ago. She saw how children struggle to survive without parents and how the ministry and community members taught the children different ways to provide for themselves. Also, her husband Jay was once an orphan and adopted as a baby.
Miller said her concern for the issue made Gobena Coffee a perfect match for the shop.
“When you’re buying coffee from us, you are actually making a difference in someone’s life. It may not be here, but it’s somewhere in the world that someone’s life is being impacted in a positive way,” she said.
Barrington Café differentiates itself from other coffee shops with several healthy items, including Lotus Energy drink and cold-pressed juice in five flavors. Miller said each flavor is a combination of pineapple, cucumber, celery or other fruits and vegetables.
She added those health options are on the menu because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we started going through COVID, I think it made myself and the country just more cognizant of how important your health is. And if you take care of your body, it will take care of you,” she said.
Miller said she wants to do her part by providing people access to something healthy. She believes everything she does will make an impact, so she hopes it will be a positive one.
Even when running businesses, Miller said she hopes to have an impact on her employees. She also owns Munchies Dairy Bar, a seasonal ice cream shop in Madison Township. Many of her employees have been youngsters who just start their first jobs.
Miller said it’s important to give them a good experience and also to teach them about being responsible or handling stress. Those skills might benefit the employees throughout their lives.
Barrington Café will soon start offering sandwiches, wraps and healthy snacks, Miller said. It opens from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday. More information can be found on the shop’s website or its Facebook page.
