Best Coffee that Transforms a Community

Editor's Pick: The Well Community Development Corp.’s Compass Coffee

The well has traditionally been a community gathering place, where everyone had to go to not only fetch water but also socialize regularly. Zac Kohl is bringing that visual to life to help reinvigorate his native Middlebury neighborhood through his nonprofit the Well Community Development Corp. in the historic church on East Market Street that Kohl attended as a kid. Inside the Well, there is another well, Compass Coffee, where all community members — neighbors, commuters, students and the homeless — gather for great coffee, live music, farmers markets and other events. Besides global coffees brewed using pour-over, siphon pot, espresso and traditional methods, Compass sells Brimfield Bread Oven pastries, Fat T’s Cookies and build-your-own breakfast sandwiches. Since early 2017, Compass has generated profits that go into helping Middlebury residents achieve homeownership and take pride in a neighborhood that has long been plagued by blight and poverty. Kohl and his team believe the Well CDC and Compass are the wellspring for change. “We hope that Compass continues to give the greater Akron community a reason to travel to Middlebury, not just drive through it!” he says. compassakron.com

See the readers' voting results for Best of the City 2018 here.