Between pumpkin carving, carnival rides, and live music, the Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest exceeded every expectation. Fueled by pumpkin spice lattes and fall spirit, it was one of those perfect autumn days that left us excited for more. Maybe next year, we’ll even carve more pumpkins and help break that world record!

There’s something special about walking into Tala Coffee. It’s not just the rich scent of freshly brewed espresso or the low hum of conversation that greets you, there’s a feeling of history in the air, woven into the very floor beneath your feet.

Join us on a “Tala Adventure” as we take our coffee beyond the café and into the heart of the communities we love. Alo takes us on her adventure to a local art festival and to grab a bite to eat.

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:

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!