GALION, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—A new business in uptown Galion is “brewing” up more than coffee.  It’s creating memories and fostering a connection to community.

Ole Dog’s Coffee Culture, 106 Harding Way East, is a supplier of coffee, tea, and all the necessary brewing equipment and accessories.  It even has its own brand of coffee – Ole Dog’s.

“It was just a natural fit,” said Dwayne Castle, who runs the business with his wife, Deborah.  “My hobby of coffee and my wife’s frustration of hogging up kitchen counter space kind of morphed into what we have now.”

What they have is “pure coffee bliss.”  Not a coffee shop with tables and chairs, but an eclectic collection of aromatic coffee beans, special roasts, assorted teas, and the machines, grinders, and kettles used for brewing.

The two opened Ole Dog’s a year-and-a-half ago after starting out selling home coffee bars – furniture they repurposed into stations for storing coffee pots, mugs, and supplies.  “That exploded and we got our own brand of coffee,” Castle said.

Now, Ole Dog’s is a one-stop shop for coffee bars as well as French presses, espresso makers, smart kettles, mocha pots, and single-serve pod machines – anything needed to brew a pot of coffee or tea at home or in the workplace, he said.

The store and the java are cleverly named after the couple’s rescue dog, Elsa, an Irish Wolfhound mix who’s a familiar fixture there.  “Elsa’s Blend” is a smooth dark roast from Uganda and Brazil, while “Unleashed” is a lighter Columbian roast.

Castle said their best-seller, however, is dubbed “Howling Good,” a Brazilian medium roast with an aroma of cocoa and caramel.  About a dozen flavored coffees and more than 30 varieties of loose-leaf tea round out the product line.

Ole Dog’s, he said, uses an electric pour-over maker to brew its coffee in house for sampling.  The packaged coffee – always fresh and micro-roasted in Ohio – is sold in 12-ounce bags either ground or whole bean, and in pods.

In keeping with the canine theme, customers can order T-shirts featuring Elsa and custom lifestyle dog coffee mugs.  Coffee subscriptions, coffee lover’s gift boxes, and even fund-raising programs are also available through Ole Dog’s.

Castle’s wife, who works full-time for the U.S. Postal Service in Shelby, decorates the store’s windows and orders most of the coffee-related giftware and accessories.  Castle, a U.S. Navy veteran, also owns a workforce development company.

So far, he said, business has been profitable.  “Galion and the surrounding area have supported us super well.  We have a very loyal customer base,” he said.  “We love being a part of the community.  We’ve been blessed.”

Ole Dog’s Coffee Culture is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.