Coldwater Coffeehouse & Bakery began in 2018—not as a business idea, but as a response. A response to the world’s growing disconnection, to the deepening divides in our communities, to the way extraction has replaced care in so many parts of daily life. Coldwater was built by people who chose to stay, to dig in, to plant something worth growing—right here in Old Town Avondale.

 

Our story isn’t polished. We didn’t launch with big investors or media buzz. We started with what we had: the skills in our hands, a garden behind the building, a little inherited money pulled out of the stock market and placed—intentionally—into a neighborhood that’s long been overlooked. We bet on the people of Avondale because we are the people of Avondale. And with neighbors like Jhonny who shared that belief, we built something honest and interdependent. Coldwater is what happens when people stop waiting for permission and start making what they need: food that feeds you fully, spaces where strangers become kin, and a rhythm of care that refuses to rush or cheapen what matters.

 

At Coldwater, we grow, bake, and serve food from scratch—starting in the garden and ending on the plate. Our kitchen transforms fresh produce from our own urban farm and small local producers into meals that reflect the season and the region. We bake everything in-house, from hand-shaped sourdough and bollo dough to muffins and seasonal pastries. Our coffee bar is built on relationships too, using locally roasted beans and house-made syrups crafted with simple, whole ingredients—no shortcuts. This work happens every day inside a worker-owned cooperative, where the people making the food also shape the business itself. Coldwater isn’t just farm-to-table. It’s soil-to-hand, flour-to-oven, and neighbor-to-neighbor—real food with real roots.