We had the good fortune of connecting with Caleb Ingalsbe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caleb, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I’ve always thought that success came from a strong and functional community behind the curtain. I couldn’t have done any of this without the constant advice, pushes to be better at hospitality, and strong moral compasses of the coffee family I’ve made through Coffeefest’s competitions.

What should our readers know about your business?
Strider Coffee Stop started as a one man catering and pop up company, on the side to my tech job. I never thought I’d be renting cafe space, staffing my own coffee bar, or serving Ann Arbor with regular hours, but here we are. It has been stressful, rewarding, and completely fallen into my lap in the best way. I feel there is no other choice for me but to continue, and improve the city of Ann Arbor’s coffee culture in what ways I can. Rachel Martindale and Q Bakehouse and Market have lovingly harassed me to go in on a cafe with them for a long time, and I’m ecstatic to begin the journey.

Strider, as a company, prioritizes hospitality and the customer experience above all else. You should know when you walk in to the space: we want to make you feel welcome, make you a great drink, and know that the coffee behind the drink is from caring, regenerative relationships with roasters and farmers.

We are a “multi-roaster” meaning we use multiple coffee roaster’s for service, and rotate through different offerings periodically. It allows for the best coffee sourcing practices: quality, care, and support for farmers at origin. We do serve some locally roasted coffee, from Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters (some of their limited releases check my boxes really well) but generally have sourced from Archetype Coffee Roasters, in Omaha, with developing relationships with Kuma Coffee, Little Wolf Coffee Roasters, and (hopefully soon) a highly regarded roaster out of the northeast, ILSE.

Our tea is also sourced with similar care, from Hugo Tea, who provides matcha, chai, and tea sachets for us. They have healthy and strong relationships with their farmers as well, and the end result is delicious tea.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh, man. Metro Detroit has many gems, too many to list, but sticking with Ann Arbor for the sake of this – Last Word, York, Bao Boys, Side Biscuit all are worthwhile spots to eat, drink, and enjoy that feeling of community outside your house.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Coffeefest’s World Latte Art Championship. This competition introduced me to almost every dear friend I have today, and certainly inspired me and connected me to the larger world of coffee, gave me the tools and connections to succeed in any capacity. Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters and, specifically, Matt Bolchi (who no longer works there) got me started, and many new faces have joined “coffeefam” as we affectionately call our competitor group. We travel together, compete together, drink fun little beverages together.

Website: coming soon!

Instagram: stridercoffeestop

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