Knowing Your Neighbors: Yellow Bike Coffee

HERMANTOWN, Minn. — It’s no secret that the closer you get to Hermantown and the Miller Hill Mall, the more you see big box stores and chain restaurants.

One coffee shop in the heart of Hermantown has the answer to this – locally roasted coffee and a made-from-scratch food menu.

Yellow Bike Coffee opened the day after its predecessor – Pelican Coffee – closed back in mid-November last year.

“Everybody can relate to a bike,” says co-owner Doug Olsen.  “It’s almost a universal experience; we think it has a lot of analogy to life and we want to help people along in their journey.”

Olsen says the new location combines a homemade food menu with hand crafted tea and coffee drinks.

“Our baristas are very artisan in the way they present the product,” add general manager Joel Graff.  “It’s not like some of the corporate stores where they’re literally pressing a button and everything comes out.”

Graff says the attention to detail in every order is what sets yellow bike apart.

“We make our own chai tea here,” he explains.  “For the mochas we make our own chocolate; [we make] our own caramel, our own vanilla.”

And the coffee they brew is made right here in Duluth at one of the most recognizable coffee roasters in Northland: Duluth Coffee Company.

“We love Duluth Coffee; we think they have a great product and we just think they love what they do and we want to have partnerships with people who love what they’re doing and investing in the community,” Olsen said.

And it’s that sense of community – bringing everyone together for a meeting or a brainstorming session or just a place to relax with a cup of joe – which Yellow Bike is all about.

“We’re excited about investing in the community we live in,” Olsen said.  “We just want to see it be a place for people to come and utilize for lots of different community activities.”

Yellow Bike currently has conference room space and a playroom for children under construction.

They hope to open those in the coming weeks.

The café is open Monday through Saturday at 6:00am to 6:00pm.