Grace joined the Tala crew in the summer of 2023 and, as of this month, is now the new manager of the Highwood location. All the way from Hartford, Wisconsin, Grace made the big move to Illinois to study international relations and environmental studies. You’ve probably seen her in the cafe with a big warm smile on her face. You can come see her at Tala most days of the week!

Have you ever wondered what we’re listening to during our time in the iconic Tala van? We asked some of our frequent Neighborly drivers for their go-to playlists, songs, artists, podcasts, and more. Here’s a glimpse of what you might hear from the Tala van as it travels to and from our roastery:

In honor of the upcoming year and rounding up the last few moments of 2022, we have asked Tala team to take a moment and share their new year’s resolutions or past year’s fondest memories. Since so many of us get to see so many of you everyday- you all can join us and check in on our progress as we chat across the bar! With that, here are the Tala team’s reflections and hopes as we end yet another wonderful year!

Running a small business is always a wild ride, but running a small business through a pandemic has been a new kind of wild. What’s more: our cafe has officially been open longer during the pandemic than not. What felt like an emergency interruption has become our new reality. But that’s not unique to us, that’s everyone’s story as of late.

“Good Morning! How are you?” are my first words to the customers that consistently get the worm. I usually work in the AM (6:30-12:00 with the adjusted COVID schedule), and let me tell you, getting out of bed at 5:30 to beat Marcus to the cafe is not the most enjoyable thing to do, especially when you’re not a morning person.

We heard so many amazing stories from people's experiences at Tala this week. In fact, we had way more submissions than we were prepared for, so it has taken several extra days to sort through it all. Thank you to everyone who shared their memories and thoughts about our cafe. We are so honored by the community and stories you’ve provided! We’ve chosen the top five memories, and randomly picked the winner of the $200 giveaway. Read all five stories below and see who is the lucky grand prize winner.

We threw our second annual Holiday Party last night for our staff. These moments are, I think, what makes our company so special. We have an unbelievably amazing team of staff who are great at their jobs, exemplify our values and offer genuine value to our customers.