By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Aug 12, 2016 at 3:01 PM

By the end of 2016 Madison, Wisconsin will have its very own Stone Creek.

Founded in 1993, Stone Creek has been a staple among local coffee companies in the Milwaukee area. The new cafe is part of a multi-year strategy to open new cafes in both the Madison and Chicago markets, as well as expanding the coffee company’s reach in the Milwaukee area.

"Milwaukee is far from a saturated market, and we could – theoretically – just open more cafes here, without expanding our market reach," notes Drew Pond, director of development. "But part of the impetus for the expansion is to increase our own knowledge and the spirit of exploration that’s integral to our business. There’s a big variance in coffee culture from market to market, and we’re excited to use our flexibility as a small business to adapt."

The new Madison cafe, which will house a training lab to accommodate classes for both wholesale accounts and the public, will be located on the ground level of the Factory District Apartments on East Washington Avenue and North Few Street, in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood just one mile from Capitol Square.

The cafe will offer a very similar menu of coffee offerings, including espresso, pour-overs and the like, as well as baked goods.

"Were not sure exactly how it’s going to look yet," Pond notes. "But it’s likely to be more cost effective to work with a partner in Madison to supply our baked goods for a period of time … at least until we open one more cafe there. But our long term goal is to provide bakery to all of our locations from our own kitchen."

Closer to home, Pond notes that although plans for a Wauwatosa cafe have been delayed, they are moving forward on the creation of a new cafe 7954 Harwood Ave. Construction is expected to start sometime in September, with the cafe expected to open in late winter, likely February or March.

Additional locations – in both Madison and Chicago – are also likely, though Pond says that the goal is for the coffee company to expand slowly and smartly.

"We’re pacing out the expansion," he says. "We’ve spent the past six to nine months in Madison, doing our research. And now we really want to look at Madison as a pilot and learn some lessons from that expansion before we move forward further. We really want to grow within our means, keep building our sustainability and not pushing too hard too fast."

Pond says they’re also staying true to their roots.

"Whenever a company that people love expands, people have mixed feelings," Pond notes. "But we want to assure people that we’re really holding onto our values of sharing and learning – the things we’ve always been. We’re staying invested here in Milwaukee, and we’re keeping our headquarters here. We’re committed to the same philosophies that have really fueled our passion for all these years And we’re going to bring that with us as we grow."

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.