Bert Davis discovered a love for roasting coffee in 2015 while living in Denver. Across the country, just outside of Sylacauga, Alabama, Ramsey Nuss grew up watching her grandmother make fresh bread, gifting it to family and friends. Little did either of them know that a decade later, their paths would come together in the community they have come to love so much.
Nuss opened Good Neighbor Baking in 2020, crafting cakes, “mini sams,” and other pastries. Davis and his wife, Erin, launched Daysol Coffee Lab in 2019, turning a hobby into a coffee roasting business. Later this spring, they’ll bring their talents together to open the Bluff Park Coffee Collective.
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Courtesy of Bluff Park Coffee Collective
Bert and Ramsey first connected in 2019 when Daysol Coffee began following Good Neighbor Baking on Instagram. The entrepreneurs’ support of one another eventually led them to work together and form Bluff Park Coffee Collective.
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Courtesy of Bluff Park Coffee Collective
Daysol Coffee Lab’s goal “is to create coffees that provide high-quality taste to your everyday person and coffee snob alike.”
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Courtesy of Bluff Park Coffee Collective
Spring Sams: Originally created for Good Neighbor Baking, miniature cookie sandwiches – known as “mini sams” – will be available for purchase at Bluff Park Coffee Collective.
In 2020, Nuss and Davis found each other’s Instagram pages and quickly connected. Nuss and her husband, Andrew, struck up a good friendship with Bert and Erin, and since forming their connection, they have supported and celebrated each other’s wins. That support and connection opened the door for Nuss to wholesale some of her pastries to Daysol’s shop in Helena.
As she began to think about finding her own space, Bert and Erin shared a desire to open a shop closer to home.
“The four of us sat down for dinner last summer and made the decision to move forward with Bluff Park Coffee Collective as a way to bring to our community something special,” Bert said. “A lot of blood, sweat, tears, money, and time have gone into getting what we have coined ‘The Collective’ open.”
Bert’s coffee adventure began in Denver in 2015. “I started roasting coffee as a hobby,” he said. “Like many home beer brewers turned brewery owners, I became a coffee shop owner.” His and Erin’s operations have grown to include their own roasting facility as well as a retail location that was open in Helena until recently, plus the soon-to-open Bluff Park Coffee Collective.
Daysol offers five espresso based drinks in lattes, cortados, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and espresso. They also have mochas, cold brew, matcha, chai, and teas from Piper & Leaf.
Good Neighbor Baking offers an array of sweets, including their popular “mini sams,” miniature cookie sandwiches that are customer favorites. Nuss also creates elaborate cookie cake designs, the occasional wedding cake, and seasonal items like King Cakes. The commercial space will give her more opportunities to bring new creations to the community.
“We always enjoy finding ways to collaborate with Daysol by using their espresso powder in baked products,” Nuss said. “Bert and Erin also have a garden that we will begin to utilize in some of these pastries and specialty items.”
Davis will run the front of house coffee shop experience, while Nuss supplies a small variety of pastries and seasonal bakes for the shop. She will use the shop’s commercial kitchen space to grow her online preorder offerings.
When asked specifically about this new venture, Bert couldn’t hide his love for what they’re creating. “We are incredibly excited about this venture in Bluff Park. Erin and I, as well as the Nuss family, all live in Bluff Park. This is our home. These are our people,” he said. “When the doors open, and we see our friends and family pour through with smiles and laughter, all that will be worth it.
“We pray that Bluff Park Coffee Collective becomes a staple for this amazing and unique community for many years to come, and that the lives touched through our venture are far too many to count.”
Bluff Park Coffee Collective is scheduled to open in early spring. Hours are Tuesday - Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. but may be subject to change.
Follow on Instagram @bpcoffeecollective, @daysolcoffeelab
and @goodneighborbaking for new specials and updates.