Giving back to the community while providing delicious java and food is the focus of the new coffee shop in town – Holy Grounds Coffee.

Owned by Matt Wilder and Steve Slifer, the food truck opened for business on April 15 in the parking lot of Fencing Solutions on Iowa Avenue, at the Menards intersection.

“This is a pretty good location. A lot of people go to Menards and Theisens, go out of town this way,” Slifer said. “This location is a huge thing. I’m going to have to expand the parking lot. It gets full at lunchtime.”

The immediate rush of business has been enough that the owners are already planning a second location in Toledo. In the meantime, they are building a 30×60 brick and mortar Holy Grounds in the same building as Fencing Solutions.

The brick and mortar will feature a conference room for meetings equipped for presentations. The idea of building a drive through has been tossed around, but Wilder said it all depends on what they are able to do.

“I’m thinking we will have that built by late summer,” Slifer said. “Then we’ll have the trailer going to events. We will be at the Marshall County Fairgrounds this year for the fair.”

Working with Vince Frederick of Frederick Plumbing, five percent of the gross profit from Holy Grounds will be given to needy causes in Marshalltown. The future location in Toledo, scheduled to open by June 1, will give five percent of the gross profit to that community.

“It won’t be right away or monthly, but will probably be quarterly,” Slifer said. “It depends. Vince will let us know as he knows about that. We want to give to places that actually need it, like school lunch for the kids who aren’t able to eat. We will have a Holy Grounds account so those kids can eat. It’s not fair to those kids, and they need nourishment.”

Wilder added that the school lunch is not the only cause, but it is an important one because many of those kids also do not eat at home. They also want to provide to churches and organizations which are helping the homeless and providing boots and clothes. Those causes will be what they target, Slifer said.

“Giving back to the community is always a good thing,” he said.

There is not a lot of concern about not being able to give back. In less than two weeks, roughly 1,000 sales were produced at Holy Grounds. Customers are raving on social media about the drinks and the food.

“I would bet we’re seeing about 100 people per day, if not more,” Wilder said. “The community really pulled together to show us some support.”

“That’s why we want to give back,” Slifer said. “We just got the new logo, ‘Giving back to the community one cup at a time.’ It’s a slogan so people know when they come here, some of their money will help the community, the people who need it.”

Wilder said they make everything from Americanos to macchiatos, using coffee beans from Guatemala and Costa Rica which are roasted in Michigan. Eventually, he said they want to sell 1-pound bags of the coffee beans.

“We’ve branded our coffee. It is Holy Grounds Coffee,” Wilder said. “We’ve done all the research and everything we need to do to get the perfect roast.”

The most popular drink right now is the white chocolate cheesecake mocha with raspberry cold foam, a creation of Wilder and his wife Kristine. They spoke about some drink creations they have put together, such as a bourbon maple and white chocolate snickerdoodle.

“My wife Kristine is a huge contribution – she helps a lot,” he said.

They also provide sugar-free and decaf options and make lotus – a natural green coffee energy – drinks. Kristine Wilder said one of the fun things about Holy Grounds is they have the ability to can their cold drinks. That way, customers can drink it later without spilling or they can take multiple home.

For breakfast, Kristine Wilder said they prepare sliders, French toast, pancakes, mini donuts and mini waffles.

“The sliders are popular and are sliding out the window,” Wilder said. “They’re a big hit.”

Slifer said they have also replicated a well known chili dog – the most requested food item – which is available at lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until closing.

“We brought it back,” he said, and Wilder added the customers absolutely love it.

Not wanting to leave out some businesses which deserve some recognition, they said they get their meats and cheeses from Sedlacek Whole Meat Company in Melbourne, and buns from Hy-Vee.

Slifer said customers have been asking for extended hours, but they are unable to do that right now. With the sudden popularity, they need employees.

“It’s hard to find people who really want to work,” Wilder said. “I don’t want to sound like there’s nobody that wants to work — we just haven’t found them yet.”

BUSINESS INFO:

Name: Holy Grounds Coffee

Address: 507 Iowa Ave. W

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday

Website: Facebook

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.