Crazy Beans Coffee opened its breakfast and lunch cafe April 6 on the ground floor of the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla nearly two months after closing its doors in Fleming Island.
Representatives from the family-owned chain and Jacksonville Transportation Authority officials attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony inside the JRTC.
“Crazy Beans is not just coffee, it’s a culture,” Crazy Beans co-owners Edgar and Herbert Bartley said in a news release April 6.
JTA CEO Nathaniel Ford said the transportation authority is “proud to support a small, local and minority-owned business” investing in the historic LaVilla neighborhood.
“The Crazy Beans Coffee café further enhances the experience for the thousands of customers who use this terminal each day, and the nearly 800 JTA employees who work out of our campuses,” he said.
The shop in LaVilla completes Crazy Beans’ relocation from its first store, which opened in 2016 at 1545 County Road 220 in Fleming Island.
Erika Cline, former owner of Bleu Chocolat Cafe in Springfield, is the shop’s general manager.
She said Crazy Beans ended operations in Fleming Island on Feb. 16.
The city issued a permit Dec. 3 for the $42,000 build-out for Crazy Beans Coffee at 100 LaVilla Center Drive. Grouting & Subgrade Improvements LLC with Honest Construction Inc. was the contracting team on the project.
Crazy Beans serves hot and iced coffee drinks, teas and blended beverages along with breakfast and lunch.
Martin Coffee Co. supplies the coffee beans, Cline said in December.
The coffee shop’s breakfast menu includes croissant, bagel and English muffin sandwiches, Belgian waffles, muffins and other baked goods.
Crazy Beans offers fresh-brewed coffee, espresso drinks, cold brew coffee, smoothies, lemonades and its Frozen Frapps.
For lunch, customers can order homemade chicken or tuna salad croissants, fresh salads and homemade baked goods.
Crazy Beans is open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday near the JRTC customer waiting area, according to the JTA news release.
The coffee shop is the latest addition to JTA’s 67,000-square-foot regional transportation center that opened in May. It is JTA’s main bus transfer facility, administrative headquarters and regional mobility hub.
Above: Crazy Beans Coffee and JTA representatives cut the ribbon April 6 on the company’s new cafe inside the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center. From left to right: JTA Vice President of System Development Greer Gillis; Vice President of Engagement Kelli O’Leary; Senior Vice President of Transit Operations Bonnie Todd; Crazy Beans Chef Erika Cline; Crazy Beans co-owner Edgar Bartley; JTA board Chair Ari Jolly; JTA CEO Nathaniel Ford; Crazy Beans co-owner Herbert Bartley; JTA Chief Financial Officer Greg Hayes; and JTA Chief Administrative Officer Cleveland Ferguson III.
Staff Writer Katie Garwood contributed to this report.
