Today we’d like to introduce you to CFE Roasters.
Hi CFE, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
There are so many people who deserve credit for what CFE has become because, at its core, our story has always been about family.
Klaudio’s parents immigrated to the United States and put their entire life’s savings into opening their first restaurant in 2003. They spent dawn to dusk working there, which meant Klaudio grew up there too. From an early age, he learned every part of the business and, most importantly, what true hospitality looks like – working hard, taking care of people, and treating customers like family.
Klaudio and Xhino met in high school when they were just 14. Xhino also spent years in the food industry alongside his brother, Xhoi. Eventually, Xhino and Xhoi began working alongside Klaudio and his sister, Antonela, in the family businesses. They cooked, served, bussed tables, answered phones, and did just about everything in between. Somewhere along the way, they became less like friends and more like siblings.
During the COVID pandemic, Xhino became fascinated with coffee. He bought an espresso machine, started roasting small batches of beans at home, and began experimenting. Meanwhile, right down the street, Antonela was making iced coffees at home and proudly proclaiming herself a “barista.” One day, she told Klaudio, “Let’s open a coffee shop one day.” Klaudio took her literally.
He began searching all over Metro Detroit for a location that felt different. Eventually, he found a quaint historic home in Oxford that had served as a residence, doctor’s office, funeral home, and antique shop throughout its history. By early 2022, renovations began. They visited coffee shops throughout the area and everywhere they traveled, paying attention to what worked, what didn’t, and talking with other owners along the way. At the same time, Xhino continued experimenting like a mad scientist, sourcing and testing beans with the customer experience always at the center of what he was doing.
CFE Roasters opened in the fall of 2023, and over the nearly three years since, it has grown into everything we dreamed of and more. Today, everyone has a hand in keeping CFE going. Xhino and Klaudio have gotten their siblings and wives involved as well. Xhino roasts nearly every day and works up front when he isn’t roasting. Klaudio and Xhoi – Xhino’s brother – are in the shop every day, working front of house and training our team. Antonela manages all of CFE’s social media, works in the shop, and takes on everything from décor to the seemingly endless maintenance that comes with running a coffee shop in a historic home. Iulia – Xhino’s wife – also helps bring CFE to life through social media, managing our content and accounts 24/7. Bella – Klaudio’s wife – manages our team of six employees, including hiring, interviews and payroll, whilst coordinating our daily pastries and seasonal menus.
And our six employees have become just as much a part of the CFE family. They inspire us every day, build relationships with our customers, and bring their own personalities and care to the shop. CFE would not be what it is without the people who show up every day and make it feel like home.
More recently, that family has started extending beyond the walls of our Oxford shop. We’ve begun bringing CFE to you, setting up our own mobile coffee shop for bridal and baby showers, workplace events, private parties, and other celebrations. It’s given us a whole new way to do what we love most: serve people, create an experience, and make them feel taken care of.
From the beginning, our mission has been to make our customers feel like family, too. Over the past three years, we’ve watched regular customers become familiar faces, friends, and people we genuinely look forward to seeing. They’ve supported us, celebrated milestones with us, shared CFE with their own families and friends, and reminded us time and time again why hospitality has always meant so much to us.
Klaudio, Xhino, Xhoi, Antonela, Bella, Iulia, our employees, and our customers have all had a part in creating CFE into what it is today. What started as an idea between family has grown into a community that feels like one – and that’s something we hope never changes, no matter how much CFE continues to grow.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like any business, CFE didn’t come out perfect and we never expected it to. Every day has brought a new lesson and an opportunity to grow, improve, and perfect what we’re doing. Whether it was learning more about coffee, refining our menu, managing a growing team, or simply figuring out what our customers wanted from us, we’ve tried to treat every challenge as an opportunity to become better.
There’s also the unique challenge of operating out of a historic home. Maintaining the character and beauty that made us fall in love with the building in the first place sometimes means dealing with the surprises that come along with an older property. We’ve certainly had our share of those!
But looking back, even the difficult moments have been a blessing in their own way. Every challenge has taught us something, pushed us to adapt, and helped shape CFE into what it is today. We’re still learning and we hope we always are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cferoasters.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cferoasters/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/CFE-Roasters-61552183869630/
