Aaron Fekete of Owl Eye Coffee Roasters
Staying Grounded
Aaron Fekete is bringing his coffee roasting expertise to caffeinate the Cadillac community and beyond
Born and raised in Cadillac, Michigan, Aaron Fekete has always been interested in coffee. Aaron first began working as a barista at the age of 12 and honed his experience working at various coffee shops up through completing university. He says it was during those early years that he discovered his love of the coffee industry and its culture.
From running lemonade stands to shoveling snow and cutting lawns, Aaron always had an entrepreneurial spirit; he first studied business at university before earning a degree in psychology. During his last semester, Aaron lived with a host family in Uganda at the highest point of Mount Elgon, where much of the country’s coffee is grown – further flaming his passion for the industry. “I naturally grew more curious and in lockstep with coffee and the global connection in its entirety,” he says.
With an ambition to explore more of the world, Aaron landed a job in the most densely populated city in the world: Dhaka, Bangladesh. Aaron partnered up with another American to launch the first coffee roasters in the country. “This business rocketed my coffee passion, further instilled my original desires, and platinum plated a resume with business credentials that related to the coffee industry,” he says. Over the five years of working with North End Coffee Roasters, Aaron learned many facets of the business previously not experienced, including direct sourcing, product innovation, café launching, wholesale distribution and senior management of what eventually grew to over 200 staff.
Following a harrowing terror incident at a nearby bakery in Bangladesh, Aaron decided to move back home to Cadillac with his South Korean wife and their young daughter with the intention of starting a similar business. With his years of hands-on knowledge and no potential competitors in the area, he says it was the perfect opportunity.
Aaron opened Owl Eye Coffee Roasters as a wholesale roasting business in 2019 and made plans to convert some of the space into a café – an expansion that was made possible in part through support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) through the Match on Main program, a reimbursement grant program that supports new or expanding place-based businesses.
“A representative from downtown mentioned MEDC to us,” he says. “Prior to that we had been slowly adding to our space. The Match on Main grant allowed us to speed that process up, and I would venture to guess that it shaved a year of time and expenses from the opening to our café portion.”
The timing for opening a new business proved to be challenging with the onset of the pandemic, but Aaron was able to persevere by adjusting his business model. “We had to quickly pivot our wholesale department while COVID ramped up. We thrived by doing home deliveries in the area.”
With his wholesale business thriving and the success of the café, Aaron says his business continues to grow – the same goes for his passion for coffee.
I am truly blessed to be able to bring my passion and skillset to this area and carry the community on this journey with me. Coffee brings all walks of life together under a single roof. It’s a wonderful way to connect with any community, and another aspect I’ll never grow weary of.
Looking ahead, Aaron plans to continue expanding the business’ product line and presence online awareness to further engage with the community both in Cadillac and around the globe. He even alluded to a partner willing to invest in the company. It has meant the world to do it all right from Michigan.
“I enjoy Northern Michigan small town life. After living five years in the most densely populated city in the world, I could do without the larger city life that demands the fruit of your hard labor simply to entertain oneself. The blue water and seasonal changes are what brings it all in balance.”
Learn how the MEDC is supporting small businesses in vibrant communities like Cadillac.