Hidden Gems: Meet Gabriel Miller of Goodkind Coffee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Miller.

Hi Gabriel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Goodkind Coffee is an independent coffee shop that was established in 2017. Birdtown Coffee was a coffee roaster established in 2019. As the pandemic hit, and people continued to need their coffee, Birdtown Coffee routinely supplied wholesale and retail coffee products with origins from around the world. Goodkind Coffee was purchased by Birdtown Coffee in 2021, and over the next year, the two names were synchronized under one company name – Goodkind Coffee.

Goodkind continues to roast their own coffee in Lakewood, OH. The head roaster, which is me, Gabriel Miller, and one of the original founders of Birdtown Coffee, Parker Bell, are co-owners of the operation and steer the ship day-to-day. I act as the manager of the shop and roastery, and I source green coffee from countries such as Ethiopia, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, and various other countries in Central/South America, Africa, and Asia.

What started as a passion for coffee and a desire for consistency in quality and uniqueness, Parker Bell and his brother-in-law, Stuart Louden, started Birdtown Coffee on a small roaster in a garage. Their passion for fueling and caffeinating the locals grew into a larger roasting operation and attracted my attention. I had previous roasting and coffee shop management experience, and with their vision, I aided them in roasting and establishing a larger wholesale base. As time went on, roles in the company changed, Stuart moved on to other opportunities, and Parker and myself became the owners with the help of Dan Bell through the transition period.

Parker remains an astute business mind with big goals and a conviction for impacting the community on the west side. My coffee acumen and dream of running a coffee shop, as well as a love for the environment and a concern for the industry’s impact are what drive me to source and create quality coffee with special flavors naturally accentuated through origin and roast level.

These interests are also what drive us both to run a successful coffee shop in Lakewood, OH. The coffee shop is at the heart of what we do. Our employees are knowledgeable, friendly, and eager to make quality espresso, drip, syrups and chai from scratch, and various other quality beverage items. Our company puts an emphasis on making things in house as often as they can. But, the coffee is what puts us a step above. Special attention to the roasting and sourcing of the coffee beans means a better coffee product overall, and that is what Goodkind is. In a world full of coffee options, we strive to be the Goodkind.

Goodkind just finished an expansion where more seating has been added to accommodate high demand. We are excited to continue our growth and impact the greater Cleveland area.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was pretty rough at times. The pandemic definitely had an impact on sales, but we managed. I actually came to Goodkind (which was Birdtown at the time) after an attempt at opening a different coffee shop in March of 2020, which went under almost immediately due to the shutdown and social distancing.

Additionally, we had quite a few adjustments that we had to make when roles changed and people left the business to pursue other things. A lot of responsibilities were placed on mine and Parker’s shoulders, but we have managed to delegate and maintain a very solid state at Goodkind, with help from family and friends, of course!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Goodkind Coffee?
Goodkind is especially interested in providing high quality and consistency in locally roasted coffee. The coffee world is so saturated with mediocre or poor quality, and we want to provide people with the opportunity to experience coffee in a different way. Our coffees are carefully selected from around the world according to flavor profile. I source what is unique and interesting to me, and what I feel best expresses the Goodkind brand.

Our espresso is brighter, which is intentional. We feel that it is an all-around more complex flavor, and it cuts through better when put into a latte, cappuccino, cortado, etc. We also emphasize creativity with our menu. Our baristas create their own recipes every season, and the ones that make it on the menu are rewarded with bonuses. It generates unique drinks of high quality with syrups that are all made in house.

Goodkind as a brand is a company that celebrates the future and cherishes the past. Our shop is art-deco inspired, with homey splashes of folksy Americana elements like old pictures from around Cleveland and Lakewood. The coffee product is meant to accentuate what is naturally present in the beans due to their origin. However, we do not shy away from adding our own unique recipes and flavors to lattes and other beverages to accommodate for all palates and preferences. We want everyone to have an ideal coffee experience. We are very serious about coffee, and we are also not snobby about it. Coffee is meant to be delicious in all its forms.

In addition to coffee, we also serve loose leaf tea and tisanes, ceremonial grade matcha, baked goods, and other grab-and-go bites. We even have plans to open a small kitchen and make our own food soon!

What are your plans for the future?
We just finished renovations on an addition to our shop, which will more than double our seating availability! We plan on opening the new section on August 12th, 2025. In addition to that, we have built out the space for a kitchen, and we will be opening that soon, pending menu creation and staff hiring.

We plan on having just as much dedication and quality to preparing food as we have with coffee.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goodkindcoffee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodkindcoffee/