The Coffee Factory is a hidden coffee lover’s dream due to the crafted coffee drinks, assortment of baked goodies, and the solitary for college students and professionals alike. Located in the Watermark Lofts, the former Shaw Walker Furniture Factory, The Coffee Factory is tucked away from the main streets of Downtown Muskegon. The unique traits of this cafe, compared to other coffee shops in Muskegon, are the historic properties and local craftsmanship customers come to appreciate. Old Muskegon drawn maps hang on the walls, and vintage photos of Muskegon’s lumbertown days are showcased in the glass tables. The coffee space was designed by a team of local artists, and the furniture was made out of found and upcycled materials. The ambience of this cafe will suit anyone looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Muskegon.
The Coffee Factory offers Madcap Coffee, which is a coffee shop based in Grand Rapids that distributes coffee all across the United States. Since 2008, Madcap has been working with their growers from Colombia, Ethiopia, and Kenya to bring the freshest coffee to West Michigan. Madcap also creates various blends that The Coffee Factory features, and incorporates Madcap’s espresso into their crafted espresso drinks. My favorite blend from Madcap that The Coffee Factory has featured is the Octoberfest blend. Literally tastes like fall in a mug.
Due to COVID-19, The Coffee Factory was closed for quite some time. Thankfully, they were able to re-open their doors on June 29th. My time to visit this cafe was long overdue.
What I love about local establishments is that they always support other local businesses and organizations. The Coffee Factory purchases fresh produce from McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm. The Coffee Factory offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, snacks, and baked goods that are made fresh and in house. It’s so hard not to leave with something to eat.
This time, it was their homemade Strawberry Pop Tart that caught my eye. When I hear of homemade pop tarts, I automatically think of Rise Authentic Baking Company in Grand Rapids. Rise offers a variety of homemade vegan, gluten-free pop tarts (Yum Tart) that can be purchased at the Rise Bakery, Bridge Street Market, and Squibb Coffee & Wine Bar. However, I do not have gluten free allergy or care if baked goods are vegan or not. Bring on the butter, flour, and milk based goodies!!
This pop tart was hands down the best homemade pop tart that I have ever tasted, and it motivated me to start making these at home. The crust was flaky, similar to a croissant dough. The strawberry filling reminded me of a thick strawberry jam, and the frosting was light and colorful with the pink sprinkles. Besides the pop tart, I was very tempted to try their new Nutella Baked Scone, Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake, or the Bananapeno muffin (banana muffins with jalapeno, bacon and cream cheese frosting). Yum!
Move over store bought syrups, this cafe makes their own. Try one of typical drink menu items, or be adventurous and try one of the monthly featured drink specials. I opted to try one of the three August drink features, the Perfectly Peach Iced Latte. This latte was made with Madcap Espresso, milk or dairy alternative of choice, peach and vanilla syrup. It was heavenly! I have never had a peach latte before, so I did not know what to expect. The other featured drinks were a Peachy Lemonade and a Peach berry Sunset Smoothie.
Unfortunately, this was the last day to try them as they launched their new September drink features on September 1st. The new September drink features are:
- Moon Milk, which is a hot drink made out of milk or dairy alternative of choice, homemade spice blend featuring Ashwagandha, maple syrup, and dried rose petals.
- The Wake Up Call, which is made with brewed Madcap Coffee, a shot of espresso, and creme de menthe syrup. Served hot.
- Earth, Wind and Fire Latte, which is made with chocolate syrup, espresso, steamed milk or dairy alternative of choice, whipped cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and topped with an atomic fireball.
Baked goodies that you can purchase to pair with these new featured drinks are house made strawberry pop tart, nutella scones, and vegan vanilla cupcakes.
Follow The Coffee Factory on Facebook and Instagram to see their latest menu items, as they are always cooking up something fresh.
MiFoodChronicles 