Connecting through coffee

Seven years after opening in downtown Elgin, Chemn Café has become a community fixture built around coffee and connections, something its owners said they never quite planned for.

The mother-daughter team of Monica Nava and Deja Cooper opened the café in 2019 and celebrated seven years of business in July. They have watched the shop become a gathering place, sharing milestones, weddings and graduations with its customers, as well as hard seasons.

We’ve watched Elgin change, made it through COVID-19, built friendships with customers who have truly become family,” Cooper said.

The cafe’s role in the community became apparent during the 2021 winter storm. Residents reached out looking for shelter, supplies and electricity, and Nava and Cooper helped organize relief for those in need.

Cooper said the response during and after the storm reinforced what their coffee shop had become.

“It came together and turned into something bigger than you have ever imagined,” she said. “When you have a community like ours, doing things like showing up is easy.”

The idea for Chemn Café was born with Nava about 10 years ago, after an injury left her homebound for three months. She said she had already developed an appreciation for downtown Elgin and began considering the possibility of opening a coffee shop.

Nava spent three years preparing to launch the cafe. She developed a business plan, sourced equipment and took classes, simultaneously working for an Austin area coffee roaster and shop.

Cooper helped her mother along the way by finding the espresso machine that became part of the business and eventually joined her as parter. That relationship, she said, has only strengthened their bond.

“My mom is my friend,” Cooper said. “She’s more than just a mom to me.”

Looking ahead, Cooper said she hopes the business continues serving as a hub for resources in Elgin, alongside good coffee. She wants the cafe to help residents connect with local opportunities, including career and technical education programs.

After seven years, both Cooper and Nava say Chemn Cafe’s future remains tied to the community that helped it grow in the first place.