A local coffee shop is growing beyond its Butler County roots.
Foxtrot Coffee recently celebrated the opening of a second location in Dexter, after finding success in the historic heart of Poplar Bluff.
“I have always loved coffee, I’m from the Poplar Bluff area,” said owner Ken Hill, adding Poplar Bluff didn’t have anything at the time like what he felt Foxtrot could offer.
“I would travel a lot across the country and when I would travel I would look up the local coffee shops, the downtowns and go have single-origin coffee, freshly roasted coffee and the best espresso drinks,” he said.
Hill said as he traveled and visited these shops, he wished he had one in his hometown.
“So that is what I did, I went to Poplar Bluff and bought a historic building downtown and a roastery and a coffee shop down there,” said Hill. “It was pretty successful, the people loved it and we loved it.”
The Poplar Bluff shop resides in a historic building at 404 Vine St.
“It’s a really cool space, if you are in the Poplar Bluff area and check it out,” said Hill. “It’s an old historic building and we rehabbed it.”
Hill said they roast and grind their own coffee beans and offer a full espresso bar. Hill said the Poplar Bluff, Dexter, Sikeston and Cape Girardeau area was his “stomping grounds” growing up. Though he now lives in Cape Girardeau, he calls all of Southeast Missouri home.
When the chance came to expand, he saw Dexter did not have a sit down coffee shop option that would offer freshly ground coffee beans or an espresso bar.
Hill said he has a friend who also owns property in Downtown Poplar Bluff and had real estate in Dexter. Hill said the friend suggested he open a location in Dexter. He allowed Hill to remodel the Dexter location at 309 N. One Mile Road. Hill said the Dexter location was originally a drive through-only, so they could get their feet wet in the area.
Because he also works in construction, he must split his time between the two ventures and said it took him a little while to open the inside of the Dexter location.
Hill said the beans for the coffee are shipped in green from different countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil. They are roasted locally at their roastery in Poplar Bluff. The beans are then taken to the shops in Poplar Bluff and Dexter. The beans are sold to customers either whole or ground. Hill said they never use any roasted beans over two weeks old.
Both shops offer a full espresso bar, iced coffees, blended frozen drinks similar to a frappuccino, along with cold brews and iced coffee.
Products include bullet proof coffee, which has butter and MTC oil in it. MTC oil improves cognitive ability and helps a person focus, Hill said, so it’s a popular beverage to get the day started. The locations also partner with a tea company out of Paducah and carry some teas, which are switched out seasonally. They also have steamers, which is warm milk with flavoring, for kids who may not want to drink coffee.
“We are happy to have (Dexter) open now,” said Hill. “We hope we provide something that Dexter is proud of.”