Olivia Medina, 29, has loved coffee since discovering caramel macchiatos as a teen. Her new business, C. Oliver Coffee + Flower Bar, allowed her to follow her younger self’s passion.
It all began at Starbucks. Once Medina turned 13, her parents decided her entrance into early adulthood made her old enough to drink coffee. Medina said the taste of coffee was a life changing experience.
“I always loved the feel of coffee,” Medina said. “The vibe it gives– it just brings together a warm togetherness type of feeling.”
C. Oliver Coffee + Flower Bar is Medina’s freshly created business located downtown Maplewood, Missouri. The shop began when Medina and her best friend, 33-year-old Alyssa Schuler, sat on a couch after individual break ups with their boyfriends.
Having no idea as to what they were going to do with their lives, Medina said, they decided they wanted to start a business together. One week later, they found a building.
“I’ve always wanted to have a café and bring a warm, friendly, vibe to it,” Medina said. “So, I was like, ‘Dude, we should just do our business together. We’ll do flowers and coffee in the same building,’ and that’s how we started the business.”
C. Oliver’s menu consists of a regular brew, café au laits, lattes, double shots, macchiatos, Americanos and some specialty drinks, as well. Currently, its specialty drinks are Oliver’s Tart Tonic, Strawberry Mocktte and Powder Pink Mocha. The café also has many different floral arrangements set up for customers to buy as well.
The Strawberry Mocktte and the Powder Pink Mocha are both drinks that contain strawberry milk. Medina explains the pink milk is for the “aesthetics.” All the drinks offered are to match the surroundings of the shop.
“We were very specific about the cups and how everything is presented,” Medina said. “The Strawberry Mocktte and the Powder Pink Mocha are just really pretty drinks. It goes with the flowers and the pink wall and all that good stuff.”
Their “mock-tte” is a kid-friendly version of the mocha containing everything the mocha does except espresso.
The café plans to expand its drink selection. Medina explained a barista, Daisy, is whipping up a pumpkin drink for the fall. There will also be a peppermint drink for the winter. The owners also plan on adding new drinks to their menu as they go. Medina said they are open about what the customer wants too.
Medina said they want to give their customers whatever they ask for.
“If we have the ingredients like oatmeal, cinnamon or nutmeg, we’ll be like, ‘Okay, yeah. We can do that for you,” Medina said.
C. Oliver Coffee + Flower Bar is open at 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday and closes at 7 p.m. On Wednesdays, it closes at 6 p.m.
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