Topp earns Dynamic Award
NEW BREMEN — A local business owner was recognized for her efforts and contributions to the community during the pandemic.
Carla Topp, an owner of New Bremen Coffee Company, received the Dynamic Award on Tuesday night from the New Bremen Community Improvement Corporation.
The award description reads “ability to demonstrate energy and new ideas during an adverse economic climate.”
“The award was created because they saw the outreach and extensive work that was done throughout this pandemic to not only help my own business but to help other businesses as well as the community,” said Topp. “They felt it was necessary to give out that award to recognize our business in kind of going over and above in this challenging time.”
When the pandemic hit the area, Topp, a 2002 graduate of New Bremen High School, began brainstorming ideas to partner with area organizations and businesses.
In May, Topp and the coffee shop partnered with Faith Alliance Church to give away free drinks to teachers from New Bremen and the surrounding communities.
“We even had a customer say, ‘ Hey, I think that’s a great idea. I want to put money down,’ so they put money toward it and we could continue it,” said Topp. “It was a really cool event.”
The shop again partnered with Faith Alliance when the
church was purchasing meals for community members.
“Faith Alliance did a lot throughout the pandemic, especially early on,” said Topp. “They were going to several of the small businesses in the community and they wanted to purchase meals. They reached out to us and we were really excited. We donated all of our time and did everything at cost because we felt this was what our community needed.”
Another partnership was formed with barbecue places in town.
Hog Wild, which closed its doors in October, and Holy Smokes teamed up with the shop. New Bremen Coffee would buy smoked chicken or pulled pork and feature their food on their menus as daily specials which they continue to do.
Gongoozlers Brewery also made a connection with the coffee shop as the pair have teamed up on a couple of different occasions.
“They took some of our coffee and made a beer with our coffee which they carry now,” said Topp. “It’s called the Evening Coffee; it’s with our house blend coffee and their beer.”
In September, the two partnered on a “kegs and eggs” breakfast.
The coffee shop supplied a sausage egg casserole, muffins and fruit and Gongoozlers provided a pint of beer to go with it.
“We did it on a Sunday, before their normal hours started and so it brought people in at a different time of the time for them, which was nice,” said Topp.
Topp, who started working at New Bremen Coffee Co. in 2002 and purchased an ownership stake in 2012, said purchasing supplies locally is important to her.
They get their chicken salad from Wagner’s IGA, paper products from Fox Supply in Minster and they get their deli meat and cheese from Winner’s Meat in Osgood.
“We’ve just pushed to keep everything as local as we possibly can. It’s been fulfilling in a sense that not only are we continuing our business, thankfully, we’re helping these other businesses continue to stay afloat as well during this crazy time,” said Topp.
Topp, who sits on the board of the New Bremen CIC, said she didn’t have any idea that she would be presented with an award and humbly accepted it.
“I absolutely was thrilled to receive it. I clearly don’t do all this to receive an award,” she said. “To me, it really says something about not only myself, but my business and my business partners and the staff at New Bremen Coffee Company. We did as much as we could. I remember saying really early on to my wife, ‘ As long as we can pay the bills and stay open throughout all this, I will consider ourselves blessed.’”
Topp said she’s learned a lot since the pandemic swept into the area and turned the state upside down, adding that she’s thankful to live in such a supportive community like New Bremen.
“I think at the end of the day with this pandemic and this crazy world we’re living in, we just have a lot to be thankful for. We’ve learned a lot this year and faced our challenges,” she said. “I just have to give a big shout out to the community. I honestly was amazed and touched with how many people continued to support us even when we were carryout and pickup only. I think this area and this community has so much to be proud of and I’m just thankful to be a part of it.”