Healthy food made from scratch

Karen Brule and Penny Beavis are joint owners of Kemptville's Brewed Awakenings coffee shop in the Creekside Mall on Highway 43. Their friendship began in Grade 9, endured through university, and they even worked together as waitresses. Through the years the two have enjoyed different travels and different careers but they now work together in a family-oriented business.

Karen began her coffee career with Brewed Awakenings in Merrickville. A teacher and translator, the stay-at-home mother of two walked into a coffee shop and decided to buy the place! Working during her children's school hours, she tripled the business in eight years and sold it in 2008 to focus on the new Kemptville store. Eager to improve her skills Karen went to Idaho to take a course in roasting coffee. As a result Brewed Awakenings uses only freshly roasted Fair Trade and Organic coffee.

Penny's varied career has taken her from advertising sales, marketing, senior management, and even a stint as a home daycare operator. With three young children, she knew there had to be something better for her and her family than commuting to Ottawa every day. Penny became involved in Brewed Awakenings when she and Karen decided to join forces and opened the coffee shop in Kemptville. While the businesses are independantly owned you can still find Brewed Awakenings Kemptville's fresh baked products and coffee in Merrickville.

Aside from being a perfect place to drop in and have a coffee or a healthy lunch, Brewed Awakenings caters full meals for groups and businesses: everything from breakfast to full dinners. Penny and Karen place great importance on providing healthy food made from scratch. They sum up the secret of their success as a combination of a good work ethic, a focus on customer service, and having fun.