Snowy Owl Moves, Adds Wine Bar

BREWSTER – After more than a year of renovations to a building at 7 Underpass Rd., Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters opened at a new site May 13. 

Co-owners — and husband and wife — Miguel Ainzuain and Shayna Ferullo thus completed a move of their coffee shop from a bit eastward on Route 6A to another site just off the same road, a move made due to what Ainzuain called some uncertainty about the future of their former site. They now have a long-term lease on their new building, which Ainzuain said offers “more space for our customers and more space for our team members,” as well as a higher-profile location. 

Judging by the steady stream of patrons on a recent Saturday morning, customers are not having trouble finding the new site to sample Snowy Owl’s fair-trade, ethically sourced coffee, espresso and cappuccino from around the world, including Central and South America, Asia and Africa, other beverages and baked goods, and coffee beans and other retail items for sale.

“We’re very happy with the response,” Ainzuain said on May 30. 

The couple did not consider another site outside their hometown. 

“It is where we started. It is where we live,” Ainzuain said. “Brewster stays in our hearts.”

He manages the operation of the company’s three sites, which also include its central roastery with a café at 161 Route 6A in Sandwich and an espresso bar at 483 Main St. in Chatham. Ferullo handles what Ainzuain calls “the admin side of it,” dealing with the financials and marketing and Snowy Owl’s social media presence on Instagram and Facebook. They both parent two daughters.

Soon the couple, who founded their business in Brewster after moving there from San Francisco in 2013, will learn how area residents and visitors respond to a new concept they plan for the shop, which will be a first for Snowy Owl.

That new plan, called the “Night Owl,” could be unveiled by the end of this week. The couple will transform the Brewster shop in the evening, offering chef-prepared tapas designed to be shared by customers at tables, with mocktails and beer offered as well as wine.

Ainzuain and Ferullo are aiming for what Ainzuain called “an ambiance of relaxation” for Night Owl, he said. Night Owl will probably open five evenings a week, with the days to be announced. “We’re trying to figure out which nights we’ll be open,” Ainzuain said, adding “We’ll announce it on our social media.”

Ainzuain is a native of Peru with family roots in the Basque region of Spain. He said the two uses in the same 7 Underpass Rd. space are complementary. 

“Wine and coffee are different, but there are similarities in the concepts,” Ainzuain said. He pointed to the agricultural source for both products, said patrons “appreciate the flavors of both,” and added both can be enjoyed in a communal setting.

He described that as the goal Snowy Owl has aimed for since its birth in Brewster with three employees: Ainzuain, Ferullo and a barista. Ainzuain said they had enjoyed coffee shops in California while he operated an import/export business and wanted to recreate that experience.

“Connecting with community, drinking a cup of coffee while you’re chatting with someone you’ve never met — coffee shops give you that sense of community,” Ainzuain said. “Some people see it as a cup of coffee, but it’s more than that.”

The Snowy Owl company now employs 75 in the summer season and 45 in the cooler months. Ainzuain was asked why it has grown. 

He cited carefully roasted and brewed coffee for their success, as well as the fact it is also ethically sourced to protect farmers and middlemen. And he credits his employees — he calls them team members — for helping the owners create what he calls a welcoming atmosphere. 

“I think that consistency, hospitality, that’s something we really work hard for. And we have a real team of people who…take really well the concept of the values we have as a company,” Ainzuain said. “Also, on the coffee side, [we are] working with partners who give us…the quality we’re paying for, and at the same time [there is] our commitment to supporting partners from around the world.” 

  Why “Snowy Owl”? It turns out owls have special meaning for Ainzuain and his siblings, and the name honors their father. 

About a decade ago Ainzuain’s father was nearing his final days in Lima, Peru before succumbing to cancer. He was comforted physically and mentally by a pillow, on which there was a picture of an owl, that Ainzuain bought for him. 

Following his father’s passing, his children have all had a series of sightings of snowy owls, and they made a connection between their late father and the birds. When Ainzuain and Ferullo visited Nauset Beach and saw a pair of the owls, inspiration struck.   

“We were looking for names for the coffee shop. We were looking Cape Cod-themed,” he said. But then they saw a snowy owl. “It was amazing. We saw the owls, took pictures. And then on the way back through the dunes, we said, ‘Why not call it The Snowy Owl? It’s kind of like my father is telling us.’ We had signs.”