In November 2018, Brenda Van De Walle opened a coffee shop attached to an antique store: Farmers to Market Coffee Co. Van De Walle and her coffee perked up Calvert, restoring the town to its previous splendor.
Van De Walle visited Calvert, the antique capital of Texas, with her mother when she was just a child. She remembered it as lively and bustling with people. Years later, she revisited Calvert and saw the town of 1,000 people had gone quiet. Having a passion for historic districts and a degree in landscape architecture, Van De Walle knew she could make an impact. Van De Walle decided to start a business in the historic district of Calvert, the third largest in Texas on the National Registry.
“About four years ago I opened an antique store, Under the Chandelier,” says Van De Walle.
She didn’t stop there. When no one came forward, Van De Walle stepped up to chair Calvert’s 150th birthday celebration and almost 10,000 people attended. People were soon approaching her after saying they were shocked at the change they saw in Calvert. While chairing the event, Van De Walle put her newest endeavor on pause, a coffee shop. Six months later, in November 2018, Van De Walle opened a coffee shop attached to the antique store: Farmers to Market Coffee Co.
“It definitely woke up Calvert,” says Van De Walle. “You don’t [always] stop for antiques, but people stop for coffee.”
That’s what made her decide to combine the two. However, the quality of her coffee is the deciding factor for customers. With reverse osmosis, dialed back minerals for taste, and her own roast, Van De Walle knows her coffee and wants to educate people on how to get the perfect cup.
“I love the perfect cup of coffee,” says Van De Walle. “Anything and everything I do is about being the best.”
She’s hesitant to add food to the menu, as to not risk the integrity of the coffee, but offers muffins, cookies, and protein bars for now. However, her drinks have become popular across county lines for their uniqueness, like true Italian macchiatos, cortados, fruit-flavored sodas, and themed frappuccinos for kids. She also carries loose leaf teas in 10 different flavors including black, green, white, and herbal.
“I have to be different,” says Van De Walle. “My husband hates my attention to detail.”
That attention to detail brought a lot of attention to the couple because a photo of her creme brulee drinks were shared on a popular Instagram page. The hot creme brulee drinks are caramelized with a torch and the cold version has a round sugar disc with caramelized sugar on the top.
The intricacy of her creations means a lot of time goes into preparing her drinks. With four employees — her husband, son, daughter, and herself — Van De Walle says it’s been stressful.
“We have been busier than we ever have,” says Van De Walle. “The pandemic has probably increased my business by threefold.”
Their accommodations for the pandemic included curbside pickup, but now they are open at a reduced capacity. Van De Walle says she assumes people questioned the opening of a coffee shop in a town of 1,000 people, but she knew it mean more than that to Calvert.
“My love and passion is just not my businesses, but these eight blocks of main street,” says Van De Walle. “People used to pass through; now it’s a destination.”
For more information, visit www.farmers-to-market.com.
