Coffee, Cafés & Community in Chico

Chico has been blessed with an amazing variety of coffee houses throughout the years. There is a passion for the perfect roast, smooth blend, and frothy foams; and enjoying a well-crafted cup of joe with friends or family can be a rewarding experience. In Chico two coffee houses stand out when it comes to the appreciation of good company and a strong cup of coffee. Both roast their own coffee in house and both have excellent menus.

Tender Loving Coffee

Tender Loving Coffee (TLC) is a family owned business. Heath Dewey and his wife, Janell Bauer, believe in ethical sourcing and roasting. “What we do goes beyond just making a cup of coffee,” Janell says. “We are passionate about sourcing from socially and environmentally responsible cooperatives and farmers around the world, whose priorities are the people and the land. We partner with growers who share our commitments and offer transparency in the supply chain.”

Heath’s main concern is sourcing quality coffee for the tastiest cup and ensuring that the people who grow and mill the coffees are paid fairly. He strives to keep TLC a kind and inclusive environment that lives up to the name. Heath says his late father, John, helped the couple fill the café with hand crafted wooden tables as part of the overall mission to make TLC a place where people would come together. “With connectivity and creativity in mind, we have made it our mission to be a place that people in the community can share their love and passion for art, music and culture,” Heath says.

TLC’s vegan menu includes breakfast items and pastries that meet their goal of serving sustainable, ethical and delicious vegan food. Favorites include different vegan egg patty sandwiches on brioche buns, southwest burritos and simple biscuits. The arugula avocado toast with ripe cherry tomatoes, house made vinaigrette and vegan feta is a showstopper. Janell says, “Tender Loving Café has been carefully curated with the community in mind. It’s a place to enjoy, create, imagine and explore — a place for you to take a moment to disconnect from the world and reconnect with the simple pleasures of life.”

Tender Loving Coffee
365 E 6th Street, Chico
530-433-0414. 8am-3pm Mon-Sat,
8am-1pm Sun. @TenderLovingCoffee tenderlovingcoffee.com

Stoble Coffee

Stoble Coffee, working to become a social and professional hub in Chico, was started when a group of friends, all self-professed coffee nerds, got together to share their love of coffee and community. They began door to door deliveries in March, 2020 during the early days of the pandemic and opened their doors in Chico this past January.

One of the owners, Lauren Thiede, says, “Building community brings about the most joy for us. The team we have is made up of wonderful people who genuinely enjoy and care about each other. We also love working to create a space where everyone might be able to experience a sense of belonging. It’s always encouraging when we see glimpses of that happening within the walls of our business.”

Stoble Coffee’s roomy space includes the coffee bar/cafe, full kitchen  and roasting room in one half of the building, and a community workspace in the other half. The workspace includes private offices, open workspaces, and several conference/meeting rooms.

Stoble’s cafe serves up what Lauren calls a one-of-a-kind menu. “Cooper, our cafe manager, has crafted a beautifully curated coffee program, and Nathan, our kitchen manager, continues to develop absolutely stunning, locally sourced dishes; usually while singing along to Taylor Swift with the rest of the kitchen crew!”  Menu choices include local pastries, breakfast toast options, acai bowls, fresh salads, porcetta sandos and daily soups. Share plates paired with local wines and beer on tap are the dinner highlight. The cafe has seating on four floors, including a rooftop deck, and plenty of little nooks to chat or study.

Stoble Coffee
418 Broadway Street, Chico
(530) 513-5547. 7am-4pm Sun-Wed, 7am-9pm Thu-Sat.
@stoblecoffee stoblecoffee.com workplace@stobleco.com