Just as the Lehigh Valley’s coldest time of year begins, a New England coffee chain’s first cafe for the area hopes to create a warm, home-like space when it opens this winter.
Identity Coffee Co. will tentatively open in January at 855 S. Broadway in Wind Gap, franchisee Jason Velazquez and the James Balliet Property Group announced, where it will serve coffee, refreshers, seasonal drinks such as pumpkin spice, bagels, doughnuts, in-house cream cheeses, sandwiches, soups and salads.
Velazquez said he will open additional locations in the next five years in Macungie and Easton.
“We want to make sure we can create an atmosphere that’s a home away from home,” he said. “For homeschoolers, for church groups, for people that want to have a place of warmth to study and … kind of like the old ‘Cheers’ saying: go to a place where everybody knows your name.”
Franchisee Jason Velazquez will open the first Lehigh Valley cafes for Identity Coffee Co. starting this winter. (Photo courtesy of Amy Velazquez)
A portion of Identity Coffee’s proceeds go to supporting rescue missions for survivors of slavery and human trafficking.
The Wind Gap cafe, which will replace a former Dunkin’, will tentatively operate around 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Velazquez said.
James Balliet, the property group’s president, said he and Realtor Michael Makhoul represented both Velazquez and the property landlord Viraj Patel.
The chain also operates in Massachusetts, where the coffee is produced, and in New Hampshire.