New Riverchase coffee shop aims to build community
Nathan and Wendi Parvin thought they wanted to start a coffee roasting business to sell subscription and wholesale coffee when they moved to Hoover last year, after running a community development organization in the Middle East for several years.
But when they learned their friend Brad Haynes, who already had experience in the coffee business, also was returning from the Middle East, they decided to open a cafe in Riverchase instead and let him run it. Haynes had run a coffee distribution business in Oman since 2014 and agreed to take on the challenge.
The new coffee shop, called Baba Java Roaster and Cafe, had a soft opening in mid-March and an official grand opening March 30. Baba is a Middle Eastern word similar to dad, and java is another term for coffee.
Nathan Parvin, whose full-time job is operating a mobile optometry clinic, is the owner. His wife, Wendi — a nurse — is the general manager, and Haynes is vice president of operations.
The threesome originally looked at opening the coffee shop in the Patton Creek shopping center but couldn’t find the right location. They then found a 1,700-square-foot spot in a small strip center on U.S. 31, right next to Five Guys Burgers & Fries, in Riverchase.
It seems like a great location because there aren’t any other coffee shops in the immediate area, Wendi Parvin said.
“We’re hoping we’re in an ideal location to meet a need,” she said.
Baba Java will serve only specialty coffees, not typical commercial grade coffee, Haynes said. To be considered specialty coffee, the coffee must receive a grade of 83 or higher, with the grade hinging on how the coffee seed is grown, harvested, processed, shipped and stored, Haynes said.
“You’ll taste the difference in the cup,” Nathan Parvin said. “The cup doesn’t lie.”
Baba Java initially is importing its coffee from China, Yemen, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Honduras. Specialty drinks are sold only in traditional Italian sizes. Cappucinos are 6 ounces, and lattes are 12 ounces. One of the specialties is a honey habanero latte, using honey made in Trussville and infused with habanero powder.
They also serve teas, ice coffees and nitro brews, which are cold-brewed coffees with nitrogen infused into them to increase sweetness and provide a thick foam.
The cafe also has baked goods from nearby bakeries, including cookies from the Forest Bear Bakery, scones from Highland Gourmet Scones in Pelham, and lemon bars and brownies from Customs Cafe in Riverchase. They may offer some cinnamon rolls and pies, Wendi Parvin said.
Baba Java roasts the coffee beans right in the cafe and has other specialized equipment, such as a vacuum brewer that can brew more than 2 liters of coffee at a time.
Haynes, who just bought a house in Meadow Brook, already has extensive knowledge of the coffee roasting process and has experience consulting for coffee shops and training baristas. The cafe hired a master roaster from Australia named Reuben Parsons.
The Parvins, who live in The Ridge at Magnolia Grove behind The Grove shopping center, say they want their cafe to be a place where people come for more than a just a cup of coffee.
“We want it to be a place where people come in and have a relationship with us,” Nathan Parvin said. “We want it to be a ‘Cheers’ type place,” he said, referencing the 1980s and 1990s TV show about a bar in Boston “where everybody knows your name.”
They have a small stage for music, entertainment and karaoke performances and were planning to hire some baristas that sing, too.
“We just want it to be a fun place,” Wendi Parvin said.
For more information about Baba Java Roaster & Cafe, go to babajavacoffee.com.