Photos by Jane Kortright
It’s always encouraging to see people investing in their neighborhoods and communities. For some, that means helping a neighbor with a house project, for others it could be preparing a meal for a family with sick loved ones. For the owners of Trellis Coffee Bar, it means creating a comfortable place for patrons to meet, study or casually gather.
Ross McDaniel, one of the owners, has lived his adult life in Harrisburg. “Our goal is to make this corridor more walkable. The whole idea of a trellis is to make things grow stronger. Why wait for someone else to make positive changes?” he says.
The idea of a trellis has been worked into many design aspects of the cafe from plants hanging or clustered on tables to a large mural map of the area with vines growing through it. Even the company’s logo is a modern design with a trellis incorporated into it.
“We’ve been blessed with really great customers,” says McDaniel. “Harrisburg, Summerville, downtown, uptown, midtown, the medical community and students.” On any given day the clientele varies.
Trellis will celebrate one year in business in November, and they attribute their success to the team behind the counter, in the kitchen and around the world. Each of the original partners has brought their own level of expertise to Trellis, but they were careful in choosing their staff, tea and coffee roasters, and bakers.
McDaniel adds, “We set out to have a quaint, neighborhood coffee shop.” However, the passion for the project led them to those who could create top-notch products. Onyx Coffee Lab continues to help set the industry standard, year after year, and nationwide for its coffee beans. They also have a huge emphasis on sustainability and top-down care, going so far as to personally train the staff at Trellis to ensure the perfect drink whether the customer orders a drip coffee or the signature TCB Delight — a sweet latte with cinnamon and vanilla. Methodical, another carefully chosen partner, provides quality teas — even the matcha is ceremonial grade.
The kitchen adheres to the same high standard with a classically trained baker and another with a background in nutrition science. Trellis has quickly become well known for its gourmet baked goods like the lemon loaf (which happens to be gluten-free), raspberry crumble bars, and especially for their focaccia — so thick it is sliced in half to make the bun for their breakfast sandwich.
The beautiful space, great coffee and fantastic food are reason enough to stop by Trellis. But as much as McDaniel believes in the process and quality coffee, he says if the invitation to community were not there, then something is missing. With Trellis’ emphasis on community and the hard work that brings people together, the spot is truly something special for our area.
Seen in the November/December 2024 issue of Augusta magazine.
Have feedback or a story idea? Our publisher would love to hear from you!
11 + 15 =
The post A Warm Welcome appeared first on Augusta Magazine.
