Aaron and Lindsie Long are Beaumont natives and West Brook High School alumni. After high school, the couple attended Bible college in Sydney, Australia.
The Longs opened Oz Café, April 13, at 2417 Calder Ave. They have plans to continue growing the cafe and creating a welcoming environment.
“It’s not very big yet,” Aaron said. “We’re starting out small, but hopefully we’re creating a space where people can actually meet, hang out, build relationships and elevate the coffee culture in Beaumont.”
The idea for the cafe came from of Lindsie’s college assignment. She realized Beaumont lacked local coffee shops. When they returned to the States, the Longs decided to make her assignment a reality.
“You can go to a local coffee shop, and they’ll have great coffee but not great food, or just small things,” Lindsie said. “But we really wanted to hone-in on great coffee and great food.”
The Longs said they aim to educate the Beaumont community on quality coffee.
“I think a lot of people just don’t know enough about coffee, and we don’t want to blame them for that,” Lindsie said. “We want to help them explore and learn the differences and learn why this cup of coffee might cost this much money when you’re like, ‘It looks the same to me.’”
Aaron was in college for a year and the couple got engaged. They married when he came home for Christmas and the pair left three days later.
The Longs lived in Sydney for three years and said they enjoyed the culture and community that Australia created.
“You think of Australians, and you think they say, ‘No worries,’” Aaron said. “But they actually do. They’re very laid back and chill. They like high energy music and to hangout and are family oriented. We were just like, ‘This is the best thing ever.’”
In addition to Oz Cafe, the Longs take a traveling coffee cart to events in the community. They plan on bringing it to CrossFit Beaumont’s Rowathon, the Alzheimer’s Alliance Walk and the Bozeman Christmas Tree Farm opening on Thanksgiving.
“We also talked about coming to set up for finals week at Lamar,” Aaron said. “Just setting up in the Quad and being like, ‘Here you go, good luck at your test’”
In the future, the Longs plan to hold monthly events in the cafe.
“One of the ones that we’re going to do is with the guy who makes our meat pies,” Lindsie said. “He lives in California, and he is from Australia, and he is going to fly down and host a ‘Backyard Barbie.’”
With Oz Cafe, the Longs have a vision that is less about coffee and more about their goal to create a family environment and a sense of community.
“Hopefully, we’ll be adding something to Beaumont, and not just saying, ‘Come to us and see what we can take from you,’ but, hopefully, give back.”
Oz Café is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more, visit theozcafe.com.
