FORT BENTON — Moon Eyes Coffee Roasters is celebrating one year of operation in Fort Benton.
Jake Berger and his wife Maren Engen opened the shop on October 1st, 2022. Berger mainly runs the shop while Engen works as the assistant director of the local library, but she still comes to the shop and helps when she can. Originally intending to only sell wholesale coffee, they quickly discovered that the community wanted more.
“In a lot of different ways, we shifted and turned,” Jake Berger, Owner of Moon Eyes Coffee Roasters said, “We weren't necessarily going to have baked goods and now we do and the community loves it and that's kind of what drove us to be where we are rather than kind of where the road map was.”
Berger’s passion for coffee dates back to when he was four years old, drinking it with his grandmother. As he got older, he turned his love into a career.
“I was doing some coffee work in the area and kind of rediscovered my love for coffee and invested my time and educated myself and became familiar with it,” Berger said, “…And that became a roasting position there. And then ownership changed at that coffee shop, and it was a good opportunity for me to start on my own and take the reins on it, so to speak.”
Moon Eyes gets its name from Berger and Engen’s cat, who they used to call Moon Eyes before realizing it made for a great shop name.
As it stands now, Moon Eyes sells multiple types of coffee, treats baked by Berger himself, and merchandise such as stickers, mugs, and shirts.
“We’re really, really happy with our coffee right now,” Berger said, “The espresso offered, we wanted to make it really, really approachable, something that wasn't so intimidating. So, I'm happy with where the espresso is. I'm happy with this where the baking program is. The next thing that we want to explore is developing our wholesale coffee program.”
Moon Eyes hopes to put their coffee on grocery store shelves, and plans on going to farmers markets to sell as well. In short, Berger is trying to make good coffee more accessible.
“That's the message, right?” Berger said, “An inclusive space. Invite people in… Just share a love of coffee in a way that isn't so complicated that it's exclusionary.”
Moon Eyes Coffee Roasters is located in The Courtyard in Fort Benton at 1714 Front Street. They are open Tuesdays through Sunday,s 7:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Click here to visit the website.
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