Milk & Honey Coffee Co.

Photos by Emma Highfill; Rose Wheat Photography

Morgan is a graduate of Highland Park High School and has three daughters in the Shawnee Heights school district, so she wanted the coffee shop to be near those two communities.

“We wanted to bring the Highland Park community and the Shawnee Heights community together. Being on the East side allows us to be closer to both, and we felt like this area is underserved,” Morgan said.

After a meeting with Kevin Conard, owner of Blue Jazz Coffee Roasters, Morgan and Hartman decided to open Milk & Honey Coffee Co. in an old bank building located at 2200 SE 29th Street.

BLESSINGS FROM DELAYS

Originally, Milk & Honey Coffee Co. planned to open in October 2019, but a zoning issue pushed the opening date to March. After a five-month delay, they finally were able to open their doors to the community. They were open for all of three days before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close their indoor dining area, leaving the drive-thru as the only means for service. Rather than throw in the towel, Morgan says they had to have faith that everything would be ok.

“I was devastated. I was sick.” Morgan said. “But it was all of God’s plan. While at first we panicked, we realized after a couple of weeks that this situation has given us some good practice by only having the drive-thru. Being forced to take it slow has given us the opportunity to work out all of the bumps and figure out how to do things better.”

Although Milk & Honey’s service was reduced to drive-thru only, Morgan says the first few weeks of opening were amazingly productive.

“Honestly, since we were new, we didn’t know why we were getting a steady stream of business. We didn’t know if Topeka is just so wonderful about supporting local businesses or if it was because people waited years to have a coffee shop over here. It probably was a little bit of both,” Morgan said.

PERFECT LOCATION

Hartman and Morgan had looked for a long time to find the perfect location for their coffee shop. Hartman says when it came to the final choice, God knew exactly where they needed to be.

“We looked at Croco Road briefly, but there wasn’t any easy way to have a drive-thru. The drive-thru was a big deal to us all along and clearly the drive-thru was a God thing. He knew we were going to need this drive-thru and so He made sure we had one,” Hartman said.

Hartman and Morgan had been praying for years for a way for them to give back to the Topeka community. They both have worked in human-service related areas and understood the importance of a strong supportive community.

“To me, it is all about community,” Hartman said. “There is no better place than a community coffee shop. It is the one place you can go and stay all day, and nobody minds because a coffee shop encourages you to relax and hang out.”

FEELS LIKE HOME

Both Hartman and Morgan wanted Milk & Honey Coffee Co. to feel like home to their customers, as if they were sitting in their living room drinking coffee.

“If I’m not busy making a sandwich, I will cut up some of the buttered ends we serve and pass them out as if I am in my own living room,” Morgan said, “One of our bakers brought in a homemade banana cream pie that their grandmother made and we offered it to our customers because, if you were in my home, I would offer you a piece. It’s just that kind of atmosphere here. It’s reaching people through coffee.”

Morgan claims that her love of people comes from her faith, and the coffee shop is an answered prayer. “I prayed for years upon years that God would use me.

I prayed for some way to help others and get away from who I am and just be out there for someone else and make a difference in the community,” Morgan said. “I did not know it was going to be through coffee that God would answer my prayer. I want people to know Christ and how He has worked in my life, through my actions, in serving others.”

The name Milk & Honey Coffee Co. comes from a Bible verse, “He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 26:9 NIV)

“We feel we are bringing the land of the milk and honey to East Topeka,” Morgan said. “Yes, there have been other coffee shops, but we wanted to do it a little differently. We want to serve more than just coffee. We want to bring people hope and give the community somewhere they can call home.”

Milk & Honey Coffee Co. employees, left to right: BACK—Sarah Kuck, Claire Kibbe, Derek Gauntt, Chris Hartman, Claire Olson, Paige Derena and Faith Smith. FRONT—Gracie Mae Flores, Macy Mondragon, Olivia Morgan, Darlene Morgan, Jessica Frahm and Gabe Fluke.

GIVING BY SERVING

Milk & Honey Coffee Co. has hired a diverse group of people to work at their coffee shop. Morgan wants to give employees a chance to be a part of something bigger than serving coffee.

“I want those who work here to experience the giving side of this, the serving others more than coffee,” Morgan said. “Some employees may not get many hours, but it’s a chance for them to embark on a new local business that is trying to change the way coffee is served in Topeka.”

One of the ways the employees give to others is through the coffee sleeves on each cup. When you order a hot coffee at Milk & Honey Coffee Co., you will get an inspiring message as well. Morgan says the Milk & Honey team, along with her daughters, started hand decorating coffee sleeves with inspiring messages, quotes or Bible verses to inspire people.

“We are trying to develop a #milkandhoneysleeve movement because we found that it was a great way to give someone a lift. Just a little positive note to make someone’s day,” Morgan said.

COMMUNITY INSPIRED

Milk & Honey Coffee Co. has not only been inspiring to its community, but the Topeka community has inspired them as well.

“We can’t say enough about how supportive the community has been to us. It means so much to us how the community has embraced us,” Morgan said. “We have definitely seen Topeka Strong.”

In addition to serving Blue Jazz Coffee Roasters coffee, Milk & Honey Coffee Co. serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a variety of homemade sandwiches, salads, baked goods, oatmeal and pasta salad.