Hazel Coffee Co. Opens in Ann Arbor After Five Years of Catering

Hazel Coffee Co. swung open its doors at 2111 Packard St. in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The soft opening shifted the business from catering to a real shop. Co-owners Bryan Caragay and Hailey Polidori Caragay started running a coffee catering company back in 2020.

"The community around here has been the most supportive," said Bryan Caragay, according to MLive. "We have had dozens of people yesterday and today just say how happy they are for us that we got through it and congratulating us."

The 29-year-old co-owners launched their coffee business in Austin, Texas. Hailey Polidori Caragay drove around delivering orders door-to-door using one espresso machine. They moved to Ann Arbor in 2022 and switched to catering carts before deciding a permanent space made sense.

"We get a lot of people saying that they loved our coffee at our catering events but there was nowhere they could actually come and enjoy the coffee themselves," said Bryan Caragay per MLive.

Both owners grew up in the Plymouth-Canton area. They graduated from Central Michigan University in 2018. The couple picked Ann Arbor because the city has "similar vibes to Austin."

They started touring potential sites about two years ago. High prices slowed them down. Difficult landlords made things harder. Construction began in May in a vacant lot near YORK Food and Drink and Core Collective.

The shop takes its name from a childhood memory. Hailey Polidori Caragay's mother used to drink hazelnut coffee. Bryan Caragay credits their landlords for helping when money got tight at the start.

"We really wanted to bring that Southern hospitality to the Midwest and just have a really collaborative, creative environment," said Hailey Polidori Caragay per MLive. "We want it to be a place people gather from all aspects of creativity."

The menu features house-made drinks. Cinnamon sugar latte? They've got it. Maple sea salt latte? That too. Bryan Caragay said customers can expect specialty espresso options plus chai and matcha drinks.

The owners want customers to feel comfortable ordering whatever they want. No judgment here. Hailey Polidori Caragay said many local business owners have stopped by and shown interest in working together.

The cafe opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. every day.