DES MOINES, Iowa — Many businesses have closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, some of them for good.
But one local business is expanding on a pretty small scale.
It all began with a cart.
On a brisk morning in the patio sun, a barista is aligning coffee drinks outside the Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines.
Licensing to sell on the street can be tricky, Northern Vessel started with special events.
"When the pandemic hit and everything got shut down, we pivoted and started doing coffee delivery," said T.J. Rude, who runs Northern Vessel.
So he brought cold brew right to people's homes.
"I'm not from Des Moines, so I'm really getting to know the area really well" said delivery driver Alex Prins. "It's really great."
For years, the goal was to be more public. And in the middle of the pandemic, they've been able to accomplish that goal.
Every espresso is measured, steamed to temperature and poured with care.
"This is the third rendition of it," rude said. "We had to strip it down a few times, rebuild it just to get it the way we wanted to get."
It's that attention to detail that has helped him create a following from his time at St. Kilda to now.
"As soon as I figured out that he was open here, I make a point of stopping here when I am downtown," said Kathy Bernreuter.
The cart is proof that in these challenging times, we can see growth and take each day in stride.
"I think it's refined our character a lot," Rude said. "Refind our work ethic a lot."
Northern Vessel is open from 8 a.m. to noon near the corner of 10th and Locust in downtown Des Moines.
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