We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jess Rao, Andy Jimison, Alecia Bishop And Ellie Ellis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jess Rao, Andy Jimison, Alecia Bishop and Ellie Ellis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Cordella’s was born from a shared love of coffee, community, and the vibrant café culture that Andy Jimison and Jess Rao experienced during their 16 years living in Brooklyn. Living in a place where every corner had a coffee shop that doubled as a gathering place, they saw how a well-crafted space could bring people together, inspire creativity, and foster a sense of belonging. Early pandemic, they moved to Worcester to be closer to family and wanted to bring that same energy to a city with a growing arts and cultural scene but still room for a café that blended high-quality coffee with a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Andy, with a background in art and architecture, and Jess, with a background in public health and community building, saw an opportunity to create something special. They envisioned Cordella’s as more than just a coffee shop—it would be a neighborhood hub, a place where students could study, professionals could meet, and friends could gather.

A few independently owned businesses were already established on the block, such as a Greek market and pizza place, but no specialty coffee place. What excited Andy and Jess the most was the chance to build a café that wasn’t just about offering a place to get great coffee but about creating a unique space for the people who walk through the door every day. Living in the same neighborhood as Cordella’s, with a child (fun fact: her middle name is Cordella!) in public elementary school down the street from the café, they are very much committed to bettering the neighborhood.

Cordella’s gets its beans from Dean’s Beans in Orange, an ecologically responsible, fair-trade roaster that works with sustainable farms. The company’s calendar is chock full of events, such as pop-ups with other local businesses (e.g., Pig Out! vegan bakery), and crafternoons. It has established a local artist feature that rotates every two weeks. Board games are available, and seasonal coloring pages are available to the many young regulars whose usual orders are caffeine-free Babyccinos. The cafe offers a full espresso menu, drip and pour-over coffee, house-made seasonal syrups and whipped cream (both vegan), and vegan milk alternatives. It also offers a full tea menu of herbals and classic tea varieties from MEM, a Cambridge-based company.

Jess Rao, Andy Jimison, Alecia Bishop and Ellie Ellis, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After spending over a decade in the restaurant industry, Alecia made the leap from food to coffee. Quickly finding a passion for learning about the origins of coffees, roasts, and tasting notes. In the world of coffee, this is the knowledge people usually lack when trying to find a coffee they would enjoy. Often, the words Bold, Strong, or “a cup of coffee that tastes like coffee” are what people throw around when they are talking about what they might want to order. Helping customers find something they really would enjoy drinking and understanding why, is something Alecia has found a passion for.

From offering classes on how different brew methods and extractions affect coffee making to taking the time to talk with customers one-on-one about improving their home brewing setups, engaging with our customers to help them achieve the best success for what they are looking for really makes a difference. While there are typically standard practices for dialing in different brew methods, everyone has a different palate, and there is a beverage for everyone — you just might need some help getting there.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Jess and Andy, with full-time jobs that they needed to keep and a small child, knew that they couldn’t do it alone. They approached their cousin (by marriage) Ellie Ellis, an illustrator and designer, to see if she would be interested in joining the team, and she was in. The three of them got to work but realized they knew little about coffee. Ellie had been in a book club with Alecia Bishop, a longtime coffee professional who had led cafe programs in the past. Alecia offered to teach them the basics, but after a few weeks of working together, the team realized Alecia had been the missing piece to the puzzle and invited her to join the partnership. All the partners work in the business, sharing responsibilities from preparing and serving high-quality coffee drinks and teas to helping manage inventories and creating menus. The four have each carved out specific roles at the café, but you can find them all behind the counter, making and serving a bevy of creative drinks from Cordella’s seasonal and everyday menus.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

After spending most of her life living in or around Worcester, Alecia noticed a need for more places with quality coffee options, from unique everyday selections to fresh seasonal flavors. Many of the restaurants and cafes we all love from our travels have made this a focus. Real, local ingredients and flavors that can shine on their own, coupled with making as much as possible in-house, have truly made a difference that people notice.

Cafe culture centers around meeting and connecting with the community, and Cordella’s has naturally embraced that. We exist to serve our community and build new connections. Our customers have consistently and overwhelmingly asked for vegan options, and we listened. The entire drink menu begins as a vegan base, and as the cafe grows and the menu expands, we intend to focus on an exclusively vegan/vegetarian menu.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cordellas.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cordellas_coffee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558331247782
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vqbyft6KHRPn4ijn9