Newcomer to Tempe's coffee scene, Hazelrock Coffee + Sweets focuses its attention on community engagement to stay afloat in the busy world of coffee shops.
Hazelrock, on Rural Road and University Drive, caters to college students and offers a variety of coffee drinks and house-made pastries.
General Manager Nicole Damaso said the main goal at Hazelrock is to educate people about coffee and its vast possibilities while interacting with community members.
“We understand that there are a lot of competitive coffee shops around here,” Damaso said. “But for us, the whole point of the cafe is to teach people and promote all the local roasters that we use.”
Damaso said that despite the presence of numerous nearby coffee shops catering to the same college community, including Royal Coffee Bar, Cartel Coffee Lab, The Blend, Cupz Coffee Experience and Romancing the Bean, she does not feel the competition imposes on business at Hazelrock.
Rather, Damaso said she would be more interested in building connections with other coffee shops and community members.
“I am very interested in engaging with the community,” Damaso said. “It would be nice if we could do something along with Cartel or any of the other coffee shops around here. It’s definitely something we’re working toward.”
It was this mindset that carried Hazelrock through the difficult weeks of summer when business was struggling and a day’s customers could be counted on one hand.
Having opened the day after ASU’s spring semester ended, timing was not the only unique element of Hazelrock’s inception.
Damaso said that owner Vincent Chan originally intended to open a Taiwanese-style shaved ice shop, but felt he needed to add another business element to carry the shop through the colder months. That’s where the coffee came in.
Over time, Damaso said this idea shifted and changed to evolve into the Hazelrock that’s open today, which still carries shaved ice, but focuses mainly on coffee made from locally roasted beans and freshly-made pastries.
Damaso said even the syrups at Hazelrock are made in-house.
The people at Hazelrock were so dedicated to their craft that Damaso said she actually became concerned over how the business was perceived.
“A lot of people thought we were stuck up because of the fact that we were literally just specialty coffee, and I didn’t want that to be our image,” Damaso said. “I wanted it to be more about the customers.”
It would seem this strategy has been effective so far, as Damaso estimates the shop is five times as busy now as it was when it opened. In the future, Damaso said Hazelrock hopes to expand with locations in the Chandler and Gilbert area.
Owner of Royal Coffee Bar Hayes McNeil also said he didn’t feel that the coffee shops in Tempe are competing for customers.
“I’ve been surprised at how friendly other coffee shop owners are,” he said. “I don't think (it's competitive). I guess in a good way. Not competitive as far as for each other's customers or for more business, but I would say the quality gets better -- the more shops that come around -- it elevates everyone to make better coffee."
Cartel Tempe manager Dustin Wood said the most unique part of the coffee industry is the strong sense of camaraderie among the different shops.
“Coffee is one giant community,” he said. “We all like to take care of each other. Different coffee shops do different things. ... As long as we continue to do different things it’s not really a competition.”
Related Links:
Starbucks launches first mobile coffee cart at ASU
Caffeine culture: How three downtown coffee shops got their start
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