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Open D's House of Coffee & Cider

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Hello, my name is Desirae, affectionately known to most as Des. I’m a Fresno, CA native, and a mother of two toddlers that I’m currently raising from the back office of my family’s restaurant – much like I was in the late 80s, at my parent’s restaurant, Monster Burger, in West Fresno. I have been making efforts to launch my own small business for almost a year, and though the plans and scope may have changed a few times here and there, I am pleased to announce that I am finally ready to turn my dream into a reality. I have decided to open a Coffee & Cider House.

Some of you may know me by my other endeavor, a build-your-own burger restaurant, Take 3, which I opened alongside my father in 2014. Take 3 has been very successful, and now seems like the perfect time to branch out on my own, and continue my family’s legacy of entrepreneurship in Fresno.


With modest funds and wild dreams, this new business has presented a slew of challenges. As we approach this new year, I am determined to give the idea a real chance.

Calling myself a coffee or hard cider enthusiast, would be an understatement. Like many working parent’s, coffee is the foundation of my food pyramid. As a caffeine connoisseur, I have spent years experimenting with my drink of choice, and am excited to share my specialty drinks with the world. An unfortunate aversion to beer left me sad and on the sidelines for a number of pub excursions and bar crawls. But when I discovered hard cider, it was love at first taste. After cider tasting at a cider house in Seattle, WA, I knew I needed to bring a real cider experience to my hometown.

I have to say, I love Fresno so much! Not only Fresno, but Downtown Fresno! My family has long supported the downtown revitalization efforts. My personal commitment to bringing patrons to downtown, expands beyond Take3, and my future business, which I hope to open on Fulton Street as well. I have coordinated and collaborated on events that have drawn thousands of locals and out-of-towners, and garnered national and international media attention. I have big plans for continuing these efforts at the new space.




The name of my new business will be D’s House of Coffee & Cider. A cozy space for people to enjoy coffee, light fare, and alcoholic ciders, as well as live music and entertainment. I have already began reaching out to roasters, craft brewers, and microbrewers, both local and across the country. With my passion for coffee and cider, future customers can expect a wide selection of exclusive products. D’s House will also serve as a new venue, to launch and promote local talent, and to host artists from around the world for intimate shows. Other events like food pop-ups, art shows, and speed dating can also be expected.

I have found the space I want, and have reached an agreement with the leasing agent and will soon make an initial deposit and work with an architect to design the space to my liking so that it flows to the full benefit of my patrons.

I will be working hard between now and then to do pop ups, drop-ins, and parties to raise money, awareness of our products, and hopefully invite new faces to this growing campaign. Please see the links below for more information on upcoming events that you can attend to support D’s House.

I hope to raise $20,000+ over this two month campaign.
A large part of these funds will help me make payments toward permits that need to be pulled and build out needs for the kitchen and aesthetics in the space

Additionally the funds will be used to:

Attend Cidery Startup Training

Install a hood and Ansul system in the kitchen

Help secure our Kitchen/Depot contract.

Brand and Merchandise the D’s House of Coffee & Cider experience.

Meet regulatory hurdles, fines and procedures.

Hopefully if we meet or exceed this goal we will have a small but necessary cushion to facilitate day to day operations and help catch our fall for the unforeseen expenses that are typical when starting a new business.

So many of you have shared my woes and my highs and lows so far and with your help I hope to continue to grow this dream.

I am eternally grateful for all your support and look forward to seeing you at the shop!!

If you would rather make your donation offline and in person your gift amount will be noted here with whatever level of public acclaim (or not) you are comfortable with.


Join us for our first fundraiser, a Lauryn Hill Tribute, September 22nd!

Organizer

Des Monique
Organizer
Fresno, CA

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