Flint & Genesee is Your Coffee Destination

No matter the season, coffee is always in fashion. A piping hot coffee – flavored, decaf, or black – can make any day better. Whether you get your cup to go, make it yourself, or meet up with a friend to sit in comfy chairs and talk about your day, Flint & Genesee has what you need. Flint & Genesee is home to many coffee shops, roasters, and retailers, each offering something unique and delicious.

One of the stalwarts of the area has been The Coffee Beanery, which is nearing 50 years. A product of passionate ownership and a community that embraced them, they have become known as much for their variety of flavors as they have for their commitment to evolving their business. With their world headquarters in Flushing and franchises throughout the county and beyond, they have become a mainstay for lovers of coffee.

“In 2026, we'll be celebrating our 50th birthday,” says chief operations officer Laurie Shaw. Shaw’s mother and father-in-law are the ones that started the company. “Julius and JoAnne Shaw started the company back in 1976, and they had a coffee delivery service prior to that which is still in existence today.

When JoAnne first went to businesses to deliver coffee, people would say they didn't like coffee. They liked the smell, but they didn't like the taste. She knew that if she could offer them the best coffee in the world, everybody would love coffee. So, that became her passion.

The Shaw family entered the coffee world with a willingness to learn and a dedication to creating a business that would meet the needs of coffee drinkers. Having gotten their business off the ground, they were able to base their world headquarters in Flushing after a handshake deal with the owner of the land where they are to this day. It was through passion, partnerships, and friendships that they were able to cement their business.

“A lot of goodwill from other people has helped our company be where we are today,” says Shaw.

“We reinvented ourselves, and now we're in more non-traditional places, like drive-throughs,” Laurie Shaw says. “Drive-throughs just became a way of life with convenience. The pandemic pushed it that way. We now partner with colleges, hospitals, and airports.”

As they have changed, though, they still have an eye on what makes coffee unique. “Coffee has gone to a drive-through-only, limited menu, and we feel like it takes the personality out of it,” says Shaw. “Coffee should be more of a community and a gathering spot, and I think the shift will go back to that.”

With the many options locally and nationally, their values remain the core of the business. “More and more coffee businesses are getting bought out by the big guys. We feel like it's important to be true to ourselves and to make sure that our quality, our core message, and our values stay true. We're family owned.”

Something else that sets them apart is that they roast all of their coffees under the watchful oversight of a roast master. “We also roast all of our own coffee, which is not the norm,” Shaw says. “I think of us as the Willy Wonka of flavored coffee because we have so many of them, and we have those in decaf, too.”

Even with nearly 50 flavors, the Coffee Beanery is always looking to try something new. A curated monthly coffee subscription box offers different themed flavors. Some of those very flavors have been introduced into the general line-up while other flavors have been discontinued, making for a rousing discussion during the business’s weekly live streams. These streaming get-togethers began during COVID-19 as a way to reach out to their customers and have become a community that missed getting together to talk over coffee. “We actually started doing Facebook live every Wednesday at 10 a.m.,” Shaw says. “We still do that and it's on YouTube now. It's wonderful to hear from our customers what they like and would like to see. We use a lot of that in our feedback for developing new flavors.”

To tour the Coffee Beanery and see how they roast their coffee, visitors can schedule a time by email at customerservice@coffeebeanery.com.

Shaw says, “When you come into our facility, you get an idea of who we are. We truly are a family.”

Other Coffee Options in Flint & Genesee

Along with the Coffee Beanery, there are many wonderful coffee shops, cafes, roasters, and other businesses that sell this beloved beverage.

Good Beans Café in Flint is a cozy coffee shop with a large anteroom available for events.

Penny’s Café in the Flint Farmers’ Market serves coffee and other drinks with the added convenience of a take-out window that is open during warmer months.

Fireside Coffee Co. in Swartz Creek offers small-batch roasting and hand-crafted cocoa and mocha mixes.

The Way Coffee Co. is located in The Way Church in Fenton and also has a storefront in Collaboration Grounds and a trailer for events. Part of their mission is to help prepare students for employment.

Café Rhema in downtown Flint offers charming and welcoming décor and a wide selection of delicious treats. The space at the rear of the business hosts occasional events.

The Elbow Room in Flushing offers treats and drinks with space to sit to enjoy both.

Evers & Ollie is another space in Flushing offering coffee from Rootless Brewing Company, a food menu, and an attached boutique.

North End Coffee Café Bake in Fenton offers a comfortable space with plenty of seating and a full menu of hot and cold drinks and food.

The Rough Draught Coffee and Barroom in Fenton has expanded to offer food, a bar, and an event space, but they still offer the delicious coffees from when they first began as Café Aroma in Fenton years earlier.

Shadrach, Meshach & Abeantogo Coffee Roasters is a Goodrich-based coffee roaster that is part of a brand that includes a coffee house in their home city.

The Station in Flushing is a small café that offers coffee and baked goods just on the outside of downtown.

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee in Grand Blanc is a café that sells Yemeni coffee which is roasted in Dearborn and presents a flavor profile unlike any other coffee.

ZD’s Corner is located in Flushing and offers Zingerman’s coffee, treats from Montrose orchards, and many other refreshing drinks.

These are many, but not all, of the coffee and drink offerings in the area. If you prefer a larger chain, you can also find several Starbucks and Biggby locations throughout the county.

There’s a good reason Flint & Genesee has become a destination for coffee drinkers and with the work of these great local, regional, and international businesses they’ll have you returning for another cup.