TREMONT, Ohio — Cleveland resident Ben Sperl doesn’t like working from home, he’s very social and finds it to be lonely.
“I was working at home throughout COVID and was losing my mind,” said Sperl. “So I just needed to get out of the house. And this was the solution to my COVID blues.”
The new Tiger Lily Cafe in Tremont has become his home base. It’s a one-stop shop for him. He goes there to work nearly every day and to socialize. To him, it’s a unique spot; not only can he wake up with a coffee at Tiger Lily, he can also wind down with a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic CBD cocktail.
Cali Parey is the manager, barista and bartender at Tiger Lily and one of the artists behind the craft coffee and cocktails.
“Our special little gem secret is our CBD cocktails. So there's no alcohol in them, just 30 milligrams of full spectrum CBD,” said Parey. “They're awesome to kind of wind down during the day. And unsurprisingly, maybe surprisingly, Cleveland has a really large sober population and so being able to provide something when your friends are going out for drinks and you are getting an equally as good drink but continuing to stay sober is I think a really cool option.”
Tiger Lily is located inside the apartment complex Electric Gardens and is owned by the vegan meal company Go Buddha. It’s open every day from 7 a.m to 10 p.m. They provide the local coffee brand Ready Set Coffee Roasters, chocolate syrups from Cleveland Chocolate Company and organic wines from Bonterra Organic Vineyards in California.
“We work really hard to only use organic ingredients, we get as much as we can from local businesses, local companies, which I love, I completely support,” said Parey. “With all the healthy, organic, GMO free ingredients that we use, I never have to question what I'm serving someone or eating it myself.”
Joshua Ingraham is the owner of Go Buddha. His goal is to help people rethink how they refuel throughout the day.
“That's kind of our mindset, it is can we compliment your life in all these different items and things that we're creating, starting with food and ending the day again, with something that's like, as delicious as one of the CBD cocktails?” said Ingraham.
The cafe is also home to the neighborhood’s first 24/7 food ATM. It features Go Buddha menu items.
“It's the best of all worlds,” said Ingraham. “It's a hidden gem right now. We're just the beginning of something that's going to be very big here.”
Through coffee, non-alcoholic cocktails, wine and healthy food, they’re giving everyone options to enjoy themselves no matter what time of day.
“I feel like when you say coffee-wine bar, there's lots of places that has coffee until whatever time and then they open up again with drinks. We just are open as is throughout the day and you can order whatever you'd like. And we'll happily make it for you,” said Parey. “I've definitely made some 9 a.m. CBD cocktails.”
It’s reimaging what a cafe can be, through focusing on providing a great sense of community.
“This is what life's all about, right, just creating different experiences and having a good time,” said Ingraham.
“I think the community is the best part,” said Sperl.
For more information, you can visit their website.