first Forum event, we started with a time of general connection and mingling with complimentary donuts and raffle prize entries before launching into a group cupping. We had all of our single-origin coffees on the cupping table, and each coffee had one side ground by one grinder, and one by the other.

We are so incredibly blessed by the community that has supported us since opening our doors in late November. Since then, we have been welcomed to the neighborhood with open arms, and have been so grateful to see the way the community has already taken to our new little corner of the Indian Hill district.

If you’re visiting from out of town, you may be interested to hear what the best places to go are from a local’s perspective. Whenever I travel, I look for the opinions of real people—in fact, I usually just ask the baristas at the first cafe I go to where I should go. Consider this that conversation, except ahead of time.

As you may know, this past weekend we celebrated the Grand Opening of our Libertyville Cafe. Since opening on September 1st, we have been blown away by the support of our community, and we were so grateful to officially celebrate that by cutting the ribbon!

Molly has been a part of the Winnetka team since day one and is currently training to become the cafe manager. You can catch her opening the café almost every day! Learn more about your favorite Winnetka barista in this interview.

A few months ago, Tayah and I were tasked with the creation of the Libertyville signature drink, and today we’re excited to announce its release! We spent weeks meeting to discuss complementing flavors, whipping up various syrups in the kitchen, and saying “no” to a lot of concoctions. But finally, one receipe rose to the top, a delicious bevagage today and onward known as The Unit B.

Over the past year, our Winnetka cafe site has undergone a radical transformation visible from the street, but what many may not realize is that the interior work began long before the exterior did, and after many long months, the work is finally done and we are open! Over the past 2.5+ years that we’ve been working on this project, I’ve been asked about the design so many times, especially because it is an old retro gas station. A lot of people have been curious about how we arrived at the aesthetic we have.

As November comes to an end and the holiday season approaches, there is a special day we are particularly excited about: Small Business Saturday. This is a day dedicated to supporting and celebrating small businesses across the country, and we are thrilled to be a part of it! We know you will be tired from all of the Black Friday shopping you will be doing, so stop into Tala and shop small on November 25, 2023!

We looked at the broken windows, the piles of rubble, the broken-up concrete, and aged panels and saw what it could be. As we approach our finished product, I have to say that I think we were right. It looks pretty awesome.