Name: Becca Bay
City of residence: Timnath
Occupation: Owner of CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse
Tell us about yourself. Are you from Northern Colorado?
I was born and raised in Fort Collins, so I went through all of elementary, middle and high school here. I went to school at the University of Northern Colorado for education, then I did some traveling. But this has always been home.
When did you open the CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse?
I was a teacher out in Greeley for a few years, and at that point, I was debating what I wanted to do career-wise. Then this space became available. I taught fourth grade Colorado history, and it was one of my favorite things, so I loved the history of the building. I love stories. I loved the classroom community that I could build. I felt like I needed to do more than just what was inside of those [classroom] walls.
Because of that, I played with ideas. Timnath Beerwerks had signed on at that point, and I was like, “What better combination than coffee and beer in a community hub that has, for a century, brought people into downtown Timnath?” I launched the cafe part in January of 2020, and Timnath was really growing. Timnath was getting that need of people to come out, meet their neighbors and have a space to be without having to go to other communities to do that.
How do you make your space welcoming to everyone?
Our goal is to create community. Our tagline is “where neighbors become community,” and that means spending time together. That means not always agreeing on everything in a world where it’s so easy to be separated. This is the antithesis of that. If you want a place where you can be with people but not have to interact, we are that, and if you want to be with people and get some socialization in, we are that space too. If you just need a cozy, quiet place to connect with yourself, that’s what this is. We have a kids’ section upstairs, so all ages are welcome.
What does the CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse offer?
We are definitely multifaceted, serving a lot of different types of food and drink. We’re a coffee house with amazing local foods, pastries, coffees and a soda fountain. It’s a great place for kids to come and have their ice cream and their floats, or if you just miss the old-fashioned soda fountain of the 1920s, that’s what we are.
We have sourdough, and we have milk from Morning Fresh Dairy Farm. We also house the farmers market through the summer. Again, it’s the idea of bringing things together like the building used to be, where people can come in and it’s a one-stop shop that’s really meaningful.
We also offer retail space. We partner with Fine & Funky boutique, and they host in that space as well. They have clothes, local goods and fun gifts. We have an event venue as well that we rent out.
What’s the history of the CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse building?
I was able to find some Larimer County archives from 1919 and 1920. That was when it was first officially on the books as a grain elevator, and it carried things like sugar beets and onions. It was the stop between Greeley and Fort Collins, so any of the farmers who couldn’t access those spaces came here. It’s right along the railroad, which is an active railroad that still delivers wood to Sears Trostel down in Fort Collins. The building operated into the ’60s. Then in 2012, there was a fire on this side of the building. The brewery side is original; it has all the original architecture, so if you’re interested in that, definitely check out the brewery. You can see the grain bin walls. It’s really cool.
Then it became a family-owned flooring store. They lived and worked here into the ’80s. Then it turned into the Colorado Feed & Grain Roadhouse, and that’s where it got its Colorado Feed & Grain name. It was called the Moody-Warren Grain Elevator before that. The roadhouse operated through about 2005. If you’re from Fort Collins, there are a lot of stories that you’ll hear when you talk to people who know the building as that. Then it was vacant for a while, and we’ve revived it. I say “If these walls could talk…” or maybe that’s why they burned themselves down.
Tell us about the farmers market. When is it held?
Right now, it’s seasonal from May through October. It’s on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. It is a great way to get your local goods, your local groceries, without having to go into downtown Fort Collins, although there’s some amazing markets in the area. We have more than 50 vendors signed on throughout the season, and it rotates between anybody who’s able to come or has the availability. We have a few of our staples, including some amazing bread, meat and egg vendors. We have some great partnerships. Northern Colorado is a hotbed of amazing local artisans and products, so we don’t have to go very far to find amazing quality.
How has the business evolved over the years?
I started out with just three farmers markets. That was all I did, and I rented this space out to some other businesses. I had a little coffee cart, and it’s grown and evolved. We have some new things we’re going to be launching soon to support local small businesses.
We’ll be expanding our commissary kitchen and making it more available, so farmers market vendors that are small and can’t get into their own space or other commissary kitchens in the area will be able to start incubating. We’re offering some options for them to grow their business.
How else are you involved in the community?
I tend to get myself involved in a lot of different things. The downtown revitalization that’s happening in Timnath is one. We collaborate with a bunch of businesses, and we do Second Sundays on Main, which is an event where we get together, the church hosts activities and there are other markets going on. That is a really fun way we like to expand beyond these walls.
In addition, my kids go to a PSD school, so I work with their work-based learning program through the ACE program (the Alternative Cooperative Education program) of the district. That allows students to operate a fully functioning coffee cart within the school. I help support them and give them training and check-ins. It’s a great program, and it really helps set kids up for success. I get to work at the schools in the area, like Timnath Middle High School and Polaris Expeditionary Learning School. I get to dust off my degree and use my teaching skills, which I really enjoy.
What are some of your hobbies?
I am a “chiller outer.” I’m much more of a switch than a dial, so when I’m not working, which I love doing, I’m spending time with my family. We’re a blended family—I have a 9-year-old and a 17-year-old—so there’s always something going on, and we love to be outside. What we really love to do is go camping. We love to go up to the mountains and be in hammocks.
The Poudre Canyon is a good place to camp. There’s so much good dispersed camping, and it’s so close. It’s amazing. We go to Fairplay often; that’s a beautiful area. Anywhere there’s a hot springs is 100 percent on my list.
What do you love most about Timnath?
Ten years ago, I fell in love with its potential. The coolest thing is that it’s starting to become less potential and more reality. I get to see the kids who were born—like my customers were pregnant with them—and now they’re 5 years old and 6 years old, and they’re going to the local elementary school. I love being able to pay witness to that community. That’s something I really love to engage with. And then our trails, our walkability and our connectivity; that’s really wonderful. I also love the casual feel, like, “Hey, we’re playing the game and having some beers on a Friday night,” or whatever it is. That’s the most important part, just the quality time.
If you had a friend or a family member visiting for the weekend, what are some things you would take them to go do?
I love hosting. I love sharing the history and stories of this place, so I would take them to our reservoir in the summertime, which is really beautiful. We get to go. You can go kayaking or do whatever you want to do, and it’s non-motorized. It’s a beautiful space.
Of course, going into the mountains is a beautiful time. I also love the downtown Fort Collins vibe. You can walk, and you don’t have to spend money, but you can if you want. You can just sit and people watch. There’s always some sort of energy happening in some pocket of it.
Loveland has some amazing festivals, so the pickle festival, the honey festival and chocolate and cheese. Windsor has a really good live music scene on Thursday nights in the summer. Greeley has some great art going on. So we’d do some little day trips and stay overnight here with the beautiful views. It can’t be beat.
Does your family have any fun holiday traditions?
Stories and traditions and history are all one and the same, so we’re big on traditions, new and old. My family cuts down our Christmas tree. We spend a lot of our holiday time in Estes Park at the YMCA. It’s a beautiful space. We like to play games and spend time together. We have a tournament called Hand and Foot: It’s a card game, and we do a family tournament with more than 20 people, including all the uncles and friends and everybody.
Follow us on Instagram for more NOCO Locals and interview videos! @nocostylemagazine
