Coffee Tea and Me Plans to Expand Takeout Business in Melrose

Emily Tenreiro, who owns Melrose-based Coffee Tea and Me with her husband Lorenzo, recently discussed how business has been doing and some of the new initiatives that are in the works for the coffee shop. 

Melrose Patch (MP): Are you Melrose residents? If not, where do you live?
Emily Tenreiro (ET): "We are Melrose residents."

MP: What is your business background?
ET: "We have both worked in the service industry for over 10 years."

MP: How did you decide you wanted to open Coffee Tea and Me?
ET: "We wanted to do what we love. For me it was my passion for baking. For Lorenzo it was his love for coffee and tea."

MP: What communities were you considering opening Coffee Tea and Me?
ET: "We love Melrose. In fact we just opened La Qchara in Melrose as well. It's a great South Central American café with a raw juice bar and smoothie bar. We are certainly interested in Stoneham, Wakefield and the Boston area."

MP: Why did you choose to open Coffee Tea and Me in Melrose?
ET: "We live and breath Melrose. This is our home. There is no better place."

MP: How long did it take to get your Coffee Tea and Me business set up, from conception to the time you opened your doors to customers?
ET: "It took about four months from when the idea was born to the time we opened. Pretty fast if you ask me."

MP: Have you always been at 421 Main St. in Melrose? 
ET: "We have been at that address since we opened and will be there for a while."

MP: How long has your business been open in Melrose?
ET: "We are turning 3 in May 2014."

MP: What has it been like doing business in Melrose?
ET: "Doing business in Melrose is awesome. We love our guests, we love our regulars, we know about their lives and they know about ours. We share experiences, we just love being part of the community and help in everything we can."

MP: What are a couple of your most popular items?
ET: "Our most popular items are muffins, empanadas, crepes, yogurt bowls, breakfast sandwiches, brownies, magic bars, bubble tea, loose leaf teas and most importantly all our delectable lattes and gourmet coffees from around the world."

MP:  Are you a Melrose Chamber of Commerce member? If so, what has it been like working with fellow business owners?    
ET: "Being part of the Chamber of Commerce is the thing to do in Melrose if you are a business owner. They strive at supporting local business and most importantly they listen to our needs and (are) always thinking on how to help us and make us better."

MP: What have been some of the highlights for you running the business?
ET: "There (are) so many but being part of the community and helping it grow has been awesome."

MP: What are your short-term and long-term goals for the business?
ET: "We are always thinking on the next big thing, but the short-term (goal) is to expand our takeout business. We are designing our takeout menus to be distributed pretty soon. A long-term goal would be to stay as competitive as we are right now and to offer the best service possible with top-notch quality and stay consistent, making people happy one cup at the time!"

MP: Do you see your business expanding to a larger shop in the future? Or is your current setup just right?
ET: "People always ask when are we expanding but we felt we are just right. We are a hidden gem. We are a small shop with lots of personality."

MP: What other business ventures are you currently involved with?
ET: "Right now as I mentioned before we are focusing on our new café in Melrose. La Qchara is a great addition to the breakfast lunch and dinner scene of Melrose. We bring South Central American flavor to Melrose mucho sabor! Something you won't find (for) miles, with the only raw juice and supper food smoothie bar (for) miles."

MP: How many employees work at Coffee Tea and Me?
ET: "We have the best staff ever. We employ almost 10 people, from bakers to cooks, baristas, cashiers and manager. They are all great we love them."

MP: Do you offer daily specials?
ET: "Yes, yes we do offer daily specials. We offer soups that change daily, empanadas, wraps, crepes and more. We never stop innovating."

MP: In what ways are you involved with the community?
ET: "We belong to the Rotary Club which helps the whole community constantly. We help all the schools with their fundraising, we support the choral, the local shows around town, the Lupus Foundation through Bill Butler, Melrose (Alliance) Against Violence. We support the fight against cancer and Alzheimer's...so many things. We are just a very community-oriented business. We help in what we can as much as we can."

MP: How has business been in 2013? Has it been better than usual? 
ET: "2013 has been great. We became a coffee institution in Melrose. Our community involvement is always growing, people support us every day and look forward to coming back (the) next day (and) we are thankful for that and thank everyone for their patronage."

MP: What are your plans for 2014?
ET: "For 2014 we plan to get better at what we do, keep making people smile, keep helping the community we live in and serve the people of Melrose and their surroundings the best coffee possible along with crepes, empanadas, wraps and more."