Briana Pace | Southern Indiana Business Report
A new morning pick-me-up is coming soon to Bedford. Crow & Maple Coffeehouse, a mobile coffee trailer, is expected to open by early August and will typically be parked right off the downtown square.
Bedford native Macii Miller started the business in tribute to her late husband, Ethan Crow. The two connected online before Miller arrived in Hawaii. She had been looking for friends in the area before she traveled there, and Crow was stationed there with the Army. They met in person a few days after Miller arrived on the island.
Eight months later, they were married. Years ago, the two fantasized about one day opening a mobile coffeehouse together in Hawaii, but Crow passed away before they could do it.
Nearly three years after his death and about 5,000 miles from where their dream was born, Miller is making it a reality.
She moved back to Bedford last year.
“I’m really excited to, you know, be back in the community, seeing all of the people, making more of the connections,” Miller said, “but I’m also really excited about the parts where we actually get to give back to the community.”
Instead of asking for tips, Crow & Maple will accept donations for charities, a different one each month. The first they will support is Challenge 22, a non-profit with the mission to end veteran suicide.
The coffeehouse will serve coffee, tea and matcha. Miller is trying to make the products as budget friendly as possible; she wants it to be affordable every day. Success is not about profits.
“It would be seeing familiar faces, learning customers’ names and favorite drinks, and knowing we’ve made a positive impact in the community,” Miller said. “My goal is that every cup becomes an opportunity for our customers to make a difference right here in our community.”
Miller wants Crow & Maple to become a staple of the Bedford community, and once the coffeehouse is a little more established, she hopes to expand into Mitchell and Orange County. Farther down the road, Miller hopes to add a second truck and expand into more towns.