Uplift Coffee, a small family-owned business based in Lawrence, Kan., has found its way to Baldwin City, taking over what used to be 133 Coffee located at 112 6th Street, Baldwin City, Kan. next to Casey’s. This has brought lots of talk from the community, with a “bigger” brand coming into the small town.
Store Manager Katelyn Vitt explained, “It has been bittersweet for a lot of people to say goodbye to the 133 brand and name but the core values and what I love about the shop has stayed consistent.”
Kelli Husling took over ownership of the coffee shop after previous owners and Baldwin City locals, Drew and Caroline Markley, approached her last year asking if she would be interested in taking over the shop and expanding the Uplift brand to the community.
In a public statement 133 Coffee released on Instagram on July 13 they stated, “Our desire has always been to be a home away from home for anyone who visits, and our friends at Uplift Coffee share the same values themselves.” Then went on to announce, “Through an exciting new partnership, 133 is joining the Uplift Coffee family and will soon be growing and changing in some exciting new ways!”
Husling explained that bringing Uplift to Baldwin City seemed like a great opportunity to expand her company’s mission of “serving and uplifting the community.”
Despite Husling taking ownership last year, the official transition from 133 Coffee to Uplift Coffee didn’t happen until July 2024 with Baker University being out for the summer and it being their slow season with a large amount of their clientele being gone.
All the staff members who worked at 133 Coffee have stayed on during the transition from 133 Coffee to Uplift Coffee.
“It has been a mixed vibe, we as a staff have been here since it was 133 and we love 133 as a brand and as a name,” Vitt said. “We really get it, it’s a weird change, but as a whole, it is the end of an era which is going to be hard and sad but I think at the end it’s a good thing and I hope it will be a good thing for Baldwin as well.”
The major changes that the coffee shop saw this summer were new Uplift branded signage, the bean roaster switching from Messenger Coffee Company, based in Kansas City, Mo. to Cuvee Coffee, based in Austin, Texas and lastly the new menu with more options than the previous 133 Coffee menu.
This new menu features fresh baked goods and pastries from Lori Gardner, who also owns Baldwin City’s very own Homestead Kitchen and Bakery. Everything has been delivered fresh daily since this switchover to provide the optimum experience and fix 133 Coffee’s previous issue of complaints of stale pastries.
One big thing Husling was excited to bring to Baldwin was “a different coffee experience”. Cuvee Coffee roasts the specific blend Uplift uses in most of its drinks being Karmadillo, which uses beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia and Indonesia. This flavor profile creates a rich blend that comes out best in a latte or cappuccino, which is what Uplift sells the most of.
In comparison to the Messenger coffee that was being used before, the blend is lighter. Husling explained the reason behind the switch was that Messenger was bought out by a bigger roaster earlier this year. “Since then the quality has gone down,” she explained.
Another component for choosing Cuvee was the other two Uplift locations in Lawrence use it and she wanted to present a “uniform brand, menu and taste between all three locations.”
By changing roasters Husling wanted to present “a whole new experience with a local flare” to Baldwin City.
Another idea Husling wanted to bring to the community was making “coffee approachable to everyone”. To do this she has introduced “Single Origin Sunday” where Uplift brews coffee beans from different parts of the world every Sunday to give patrons a chance to experience and taste different coffees without having to commit to buying a whole bag of beans themselves.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Lingle, a frequent customer, appreciates the new changes and loves coming to the cozy coffee shop to grab a drink and chat with friends or do homework. She found out about Uplift through word of mouth and didn’t know much about its change of ownership but noticed some small things.
“I like it. It’s mostly the same, just a little better,” she explained and went on to note how she liked the larger menu, new decor and updated loyalty system. Overall she stated she “doesn’t mind that Uplift is a ‘bigger’ company as long as it stays nice.”
Looking to the future Uplift hopes to engage with the Baldwin City community as much as they can. Over the summer Husling came down weekly and did storytimes. Husling used to be a teacher and loves making “meaningful connections with people”. Their new goal is to “have one community event a month” according to Vitt. So Baldwin City has a lot to look forward to with Uplift being a part of the community.
Check their social media for updates and upcoming events.
