Open Eye Café celebrates 20 years of business with unique coffee blend

Carrboro Coffee Roasters is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their flagship store Open Eye Café in Carrboro by offering a unique coffee for a limited time. 

The owner's long-distance friend and business partner, Jose Arnold Paz, created the blend for this special occasion. According to a press release, the coffee is from the Paz family farm in Finca San Jose, Honduras, and is made through a natural process. It has been grown on a plot of land named in honor of Paz's mother.

The blend highlights flavors such as cassis, plum and fresh fig jam. 

“It has an amazing molasses syrupy body with baking spice notes and a lively acidity right to the end,” the press release said.

Scott Conary, the owner of Carrboro Coffee Roasters and Open Eye Café, said being in business for 20 years is a reason to celebrate.

“In that time frame, we’ve been able to accomplish a hub for a community and be a reflection of the collective community of Carrboro,” he said.

Conary said one of their main goals is to connect communities thousands of miles away, and Paz is a perfect example of this.

“We’ve created this relationship where we’re trying to do things for each other. We’re trying to help each other,” Conary said. “It goes well beyond the concept of business or the idea that I want to buy coffee from him. He is such a large part of our success.”

Conary said these types of relationships are what has helped them be so successful.

“It’s the coffee that is part of our celebration,” Conary said.

The unique coffee will be there for as long as the supply lasts. Customers can either drink the coffee in the cafe or buy a bag to take home.

“What is it that has helped us be successful is the idea that we can share world-class coffee from world-class farmers with the small community of Carrboro,” Conary said. 

Tracy Pham, a first-year student at UNC, said she loves going to Carrboro Coffee Roasters' cafes, like Open Eye, to do homework and have a cup of coffee. She said she is especially excited for them during their 20th anniversary celebration.

Pham got a cup of the new coffee and said she fell in love with it. 

“I truly enjoy going to Carrboro Coffee Roasters because of the friendly environment, the extremely kind workers and of course, the delicious coffee,” Pham said. “I find all the many reasons for this celebration to be so wonderful and different from other cafes. I love that the owner has such a close friendship with Jose Arnold and that he has sent coffee all the way from Honduras for this celebration.”

Conary said he hopes to use the cafe to foster a sense of community in Carrboro.

“The biggest thing we always have to remember is that we are successful because the community believes in what we do, and that includes customers and fellow businesses,” Conary said. “Everybody plays a part in a community working, and we know we didn’t do this alone, we all kinda did it together. We’re really thankful for everybody who has helped us be successful for two decades, and we’re looking forward to two more.”

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