Much has changed for the better in Jacksonville over the last 20 years and Pony Espresso Café is no exception. It was 1997 and by chance Chris and Kadie Boivin, two newlyweds from Napa, discovered Jacksonville, as well as their life calling. And it is this year that “The Pony” celebrates its 20th anniversary.
This April, Chris and Kadie are celebrating their success in two significant ways: a totally new, fully-remodeled commercial kitchen with a revamped menu at their Jacksonville location, as well as the grand opening of Pony Espresso Café—Ashland, located downtown at 175 Lithia Way in the new Plaza West Building.
“We first discovered Jacksonville on a weekend stay at TouVelle House,” Kadie explains. “We fell in love with Jacksonville and shortly after our first-ever trip to Oregon, Chris and I started working with Jacksonville realtor Stephanie Horton to help find a restaurant business opportunity. At that time, “The Pony” had only been up and running for a short time when the young couple was presented with the opportunity. Chris notes, “I knew right away that it was perfect. We could do all the things we were passionate about: coffee, great food, even beer and wine. The drive-thru, deck, and parking sealed the deal. I knew little about Jacksonville or Southern Oregon, but I was confident we could transform the location into something special and I could sense the future of this area, having grown up in Napa.”
Back in their college days before they’d met, Chris studied business at the University of San Francisco while Kadie majored in education at Northern Arizona University; the two worked in local college-town restaurants during the school year. Chris got his feet wet in the coffee business while working as a barista and then roaster for Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company. He also learned a great deal about the restaurant business while working at fine dining establishments Domain Chandon, and Chanterelle restaurants in the Napa Valley, as well as Chez Mark Bistro in Flagstaff, AZ. Kadie also spent summers working at Domain Chandon, as well as in the catering division for Cake Bread Cellars of Napa. Additionally, she worked at Forest Highlands restaurant in Flagstaff, Arizona. Chris and Kadie emphasized that these experiences inspired their desire to work in the food industry.
Kadie notes, “We attended different high schools in Napa, so we didn’t actually meet until we were both in college; it was during a summer stint at Domain Chandon in 1994 where we first met…we were married in 1997 after we graduated.”
Kadie reflects, “When we purchased Pony I was 23 and Chris was 25 and we were very determined to succeed. We knew we had no other choice. We didn’t have any friends or family in the area, so we just worked 7 days a week for several months. Our customers definitely became our family.” They opened the store in March of 1998 and by October, Chris and Kadie had a baby on the way.
Just as the Boivin’s business lives have changed over the years, so too has their personal life – Chris and Kadie are raising three children, Sebasten (15), Juliette (12) and Abigael (9). This year marks Sebasten’s second summer season working alongside his father, learning the ropes in much the same way Chris did.
Since purchasing Pony Espresso in 1998, Chris and Kadie continually modified the menu by bringing some of the influences from their background in fine dining, and incorporating it into their coffeehouse cuisine. Within a short time, the business was flourishing and they opened a second store in 2001 in Medford. “Caffe Diem was an opportunity to create a café from scratch,” Chris adds, “We owned the store until 2007, when we sold it in order to finance the purchase of our building and property in Jacksonville. Caffe Diem was a success, and we were very proud of what we built with that store, but we had no choice but to sell if we wanted to secure our future in Jacksonville. Going full circle, the new Ashland location gives us yet another chance to expand our reach beyond Jacksonville.”
Today, Pony Espresso employs between 10-15 staff, depending on the season, about half of whom are full-time. When the new Ashland café opens in mid-April, it will be operated by 4-6 employees with Kadie overseeing the day-to-day operations.
In addition to launching the brand-new Ashland café, the Boivin’s have made several recent changes to their Jacksonville location including kitchen upgrades and a major expansion in the breakfast and lunch menus. Chris explains, “We just finished an upgrade to the kitchen which allows us to serve 3-4 times the amount of food in the same time. We are now essentially a full-service restaurant and the new equipment allows us to offer some really exciting menu items.”
The updated menu features newly-introduced breakfast and lunch entrées alongside Pony’s gourmet sandwiches, baked goods, soups and salads the café is best known for. Customers will delight in new daily and weekly specials offered along with a full-service breakfast menu and a weekend brunch menu. “As always, all of our food is made in-house from scratch by our talented kitchen staff,” says Chris.
New choices are many and include an organic burger with caramelized onions topped with Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese, poached green eggs and ham with a lemon-leek cream sauce and hash browns, grilled cheese sliders to-die-for on an organic sourdough baguette with smoked Gouda, brie and pepper jelly, and more! As has been the case for 20 years, all of the menu items go perfectly with Pony’s wide array of espresso and coffee drinks, featuring Allann Brother’s coffee beans. Chris adds, “We are very proud to feature Allann Brother’s coffee. Allan Stuart, the owner and roastmaster, is really a national treasure and icon of roasting, and he started right here in Southern Oregon in 1972. I wish more people were familiar with his background because it really is one of the more compelling Rogue Valley success stories.”
Like the Jacksonville café, Pony Espresso Ashland will feature an expansive outdoor seating area as well as a beautiful interior café with big windows for viewing the bustling town. Both cafes will also offer lots of “grab and go” items for customers on the move.
The expansion into Ashland is serving the dual purpose of expanding the Boivin’s business as well as helping build brand awareness. Interestingly, Chris observes, “We’re really starting to think of ourselves as Jacksonville ambassadors…Jacksonville is our home and it’s a place we love sharing with others and are looking forward to seeing lots of our regular customers when they visit Ashland or Jacksonville.”
Pony Espresso Café Ashland will have a soft opening the second week of April followed by a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 21.
Your menu sounds delicious! I hope to get there this summer while in the area.