Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
The owners of Coco鈥檚 Caf茅 have decided to put their business up for sale after 16 years of serving up food and coffee.
Lynn and Andrew Wannop came to this decision because of the pandemic and the business environment they now find themselves in.
鈥淯ltimately, COVID put us in a position where we鈥檙e having to start all over again,鈥� said Lynn Wannop.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great summer, but we owe the government and it鈥檚 just I鈥檓 old enough [to remember] that we worked so hard to get out of debt. We鈥檙e just at a point where I don鈥檛 want to do it all over again.鈥�
The goal is to sell by Nov. 1, with the hope that someone new can come in and make the caf茅 their own.
鈥淲e've been here 16 years, and I feel like we built something that someone else can come in and do something awesome with it,鈥� Wannop said.
In January 2007, Wannop and her husband came to Jasper for a ski trip and where they had a chat with the owner to discover the business would soon be for sale.
The couple later decided to take the plunge and were living in the community by September.
Under their ownership, Coco鈥檚 Caf茅 has served as a pillar of the community, such as by supporting local Pride events.
鈥淚 will forever be indebted to Jasper,鈥� Wannop said. 鈥淢y whole goal is always to give back. It鈥檚 important to me to be an active part of the community.鈥�
For anyone interested in entering the caf茅 business, Wannop cautioned that it would be no easy task.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work, which I鈥檓 not scared of, but it鈥檚 hard. Before COVID, we were completely out of debt and our kids are still pretty young. I think people have this romantic idea of working in a caf茅, but it鈥檚 long hours.鈥�
Giving up the caf茅 means that the couple can spend more time with their children and focus on other pursuits, such as their food truck and catering service.
Wannop also assured that they are staying in Jasper.
鈥淲hat Jasper offered for us and our children, more than anything, we can鈥檛 get anywhere else.鈥�
Anyone interested in acquiring Coco鈥檚 Caf茅 can reach out to them directly.
