BDCC Facilitates Mocha Joe’s $1 Million Expansion in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO — On April 3rd the owners of Mocha Joe’s bought the former Cultural Intrigue Warehouse for $1 million at auction to expand their coffee roasting and increase storage capacity. The new facility will save storage fees and bring inventory closer to home. The plans include providing space for other business tenants at the site as well.
Mocha Joe’s owners, Pierre and Ellen Capy, worked with the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation for months to find something suitable for their needs close to downtown Brattleboro. “Without the expertise of the BDCC, we could not have done this,” said Pierre Capy. BDCC is able to work directly with small businesses to plan, make connections with the right people and resources, ensuring they understand all of the tools and opportunities available to help grow their business here in the Windham region.
The Capys are using a $350,000 loan from the Windham County Economic Development Program (WCEDP), created with a grant of $10MM from Entergy to mitigate the regional economic impacts from the closure of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. The Mocha Joe’s expansion in Brattleboro is the most recent example of WCEDP investments helping local businesses expand operations and grow jobs here.
Brattleboro Savings & Loan assisted Pierre and Ellen Capy with their purchase of the Frost Street property. “BS&L and Mocha Joe’s share a deep commitment to the greater Brattleboro community and this was an exciting new project for us to work on together,” said Peter Carvell of BS&L Commercial Lending. “Mocha Joe’s continues to be a strong local business and their decision to expand operations, improve efficiencies, and increase storage space will allow the company to contemplate future growth.”
In Brattleboro since 1991, Mocha Joe’s employs people at its local roasting and storage facilities, at its Main Street Cafe, as well as additional full time and seasonal positions in Cameroon where their growing and mill operations are located. With the purchase of the new warehouse, the owners anticipate hiring more employees in Brattleboro.
