Stout Coffee House Rises From Farm-Family Roots in Downtown Chehalis

A new coffeehouse in the heart of downtown Chehalis has sprung from one family’s deep-rooted farming tradition in Lewis County. 

Frank and Ann Stout needed office space for their expanding, nearly 40-year-old dairy goat operation, Mt. Capra Products. So, in 2018, they purchased the historic downtown building on Pacific Avenue, at the intersection of Boistfort Street and Chehalis Avenue. 

The 3,500-square-foot building once housed five different shops. And the Stouts soon realized there would be plenty of room for another longtime family business dream. 

Stout Coffee House was born. 

“We bought this building and it was so big, we thought, well, let’s put in a coffee shop, because we’ve been roasting our own coffee for family and friends for a while and we thought it would be a great business for the community to have,” Ann Stout said. 

But first, it was clear the dilapidated building would need a lot of work — new wiring, plumbing and beyond. 

“It needed a lot of tender love and care,” Ann Stout said. “So we went in and pretty much just gutted it, and opened the space up with these big windows.” 

The changes include a sleek minimalist decor that highlights the building’s old brickwork and exposed-beam ceiling, along with a new concrete floor and furnishings that feature long, rustic live-edge slab tables, well suited for large groups or business meetings. 

As originally intended with the purchase of the building, there’s also ample office space for the Stouts’ longtime dairy-goat business, Mt. Capra. Several staff work full-time inside the building, including Frank and son Joe Stout, who manage the business. 

Since 1985, the sustainably-managed farm has produced premium whole foods and nutritional products from goat milk. 

The family farm is located on 55 acres in Centralia, where about 500 goats graze on pesticide-free and chemical-free forage. That milk is then transported a few miles down the road to be processed at a facility in Chehalis.

Mt. Capra sells most of its goods online. Now the product line is also featured at the coffeehouse, including best-seller Capra Mineral Whey as well as a popular infant formula recipe. Other Mt. Capra products include probiotics, ghee, protein, supplements, creams, soaps and colostrums. 

With its central downtown location, the Stouts are excited for this season’s farmers market and other events to help introduce more locals to the new coffeehouse. To ensure the best-tasting brew, the shop roasts its own fresh beans several times a week and carries a variety of organic syrups for flavor. 

“We have all types of coffee drinks, blended to iced to brewed coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, alternative milks and breakfast sandwiches,” Ann Stout said. “We’re hoping to move into soups and sandwiches, and we’re working on getting our cold-press juicer going for fresh juices.” 

The Stouts aim to further grow into the spacious building, with plans for a tutoring center to open this fall. The space could also be used as an events venue in the future, Ann Stout said. 

Stout Coffee House

Where: 517 NW Pacific Ave., Chehalis

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday

Call: 360-520-9611

Online: https://www.facebook.com/stoutcoffeehouse