Covered Bridge Creamery Celebrates Its First Anniversary in Long Grove
It was a year ago that Covered Bridge Creamery in historic Long Grove opened its doors and co-owner, Amber Murans, expects the family-owned business to have many more birthdays.
Murans, who owns Signature Popcorn next door with her brother, husband and friends, started Covered Bridge Creamery as a result of getting countless requests from customers for coffee and ice cream in Long Grove. The building that houses Signature Popcorn and Covered Bridge Creamery was an old farmhouse and garage with a rich history of being a coffee shop, as it is the site of the first Gloria Jean's store in 1979.
"We adore having a business in Long Grove and when the space that's connected to our popcorn store became available, we couldn't pass it up. The town hadn't had an ice cream store in several years so that was a no-brainer to us, and we wanted to pay homage to its history by incorporating coffee and tea into the mix as well," Murans said.
Covered Bridge Creamery carefully selected local suppliers and aims to be a cozy place to grab excellent coffee, super premium ice cream and high quality, organic teas.
Since opening, the shop has listened to its customers and expanded offerings to suit more dietary needs.
"A lot of our customers have told us that they haven't been able to eat a donut in years or that they drive all the way into the city or Milwaukee to get something that suits their diet. Therefore, we found local suppliers like Craft Donuts and Holcomb Hollow and brought in more vegan and gluten-free donuts, muffins and cookies, as well as vegan ice cream.
Some of their best-selling coffee drinks include:
• Matcha Latte - stone-ground green tea with steamed milk
• L'OATTE - latte made with the creamy Oatly milk alternative
• Affogato - double espresso shot over super premium vanilla ice cream
Despite the iconic Long Grove bridge being damaged as well as road construction during half of their first year being open, the owners of Covered Bridge Creamery are optimistic about the future of Long Grove.
"Construction right in front of our business definitely made it a tougher first year but we know that it will be worth it in the long run and look forward for all that's in store for the town in the future", says Murans.
Covered Bridge Creamery is celebrating its first year in business with $1 off coffee, tea, espresso drinks and ice cream this Saturday and Sunday.