NEWS
Kinder Coffee owner shares plans for future at Sauk Rapids shop
Holly Marie Moore
Special to the St. Cloud Times
Updated July 27, 2026, 10:08 a.m. CT
- Kinder Coffee closed its original St. Cloud shop in the spring to focus on growing the business at the Sauk Rapids location.
- Future plans include expanding the menu and possibly the business, and taking a trip to South America.
- Owner Guy Magno says he wants central Minnesota to be known for great coffee.
When Kinder Coffee owner Guy Magno first opened up his original store on Cooper Avenue in St. Cloud, he quickly realized it was too small
“We picked poorly in our first spot. It was our first coffee shop. We didn’t exactly know what we were doing,” he said
That’s what led Magno and his team to take over the former Rock Creek Coffeehouse location in Sauk Rapids in 2025 — and eventually close the Cooper Avenue store earlier this spring
“We ran two locations for about a year together and realized the best way for us to grow, and we have some fun ways that we’re trying to grow, the best way was to prune that one and focus on some other things,” Magno said
Now settled into the new location at 214 Second Ave. N. in Sauk Rapids, Magno is sharing some of his aspirations for the future. Those include potentially expanding, growing their menu and a trip to South America
Future plans for Kinder Coffee
“One thing I want to be clear on is we have hopes and we have goals, and that’s what they are,” he said. “But, we have a goal to start a couple more cafes in central Minnesota.”
Magno said he believes there’s a market for local coffee shops in the area, and he wants the region to be known for great local coffee
“We are in conversation with a couple (of) other possibilities. Neither of them are far enough along yet that we can announce what they are, but we’re deep in that process right now,” he said
What’s closer to fruition is Kinder Coffee’s goal to expand its food menu
“There’s such a hunger, literally and figuratively, for something to eat alongside the coffee,” said Magno
Kinder Coffee makes some of its own pastries in-house and also partners with Backwards Bread Company for some of their items. The coffee shop has also been growing and developing a breakfast and lunch sandwich selection
“We’re in the process right now of completely revamping our food menu to bring some really incredible new house-made sandwiches to our lineup, which will come really, really soon,” Magno said
As for its coffee, Magno describes that menu as pretty traditional — including a large variety of espresso-based hand-crafted beverages
“We do sell lots of drip coffee, but the main thing that we sell are lattes. It’s espresso-based drinks with milk. Depending on people’s tastes and preferences, they get varying amounts of milk,” he said
But Kinder Coffee also loves smart seasonal drinks that are in tune with what’s on the market
“That means that we do a pumpkin spice latte in the fall, and it’s always really popular,” he said. “We want to stay relevant and up to date with what people are wanting to explore.”
Magno and Kinder Coffee also have big plans for Kinder Coffee Lab — the roasting arm of the business
Kinder Coffee looks to visit coffee producers
“We think that we’re going to have an opportunity this fall for the first time to be able to go on an origin trip, where we actually go somewhere in South America … to go and meet farmers and the producers of this incredible product that we love,” Magno said
He said it’s something that anyone in the coffee business dreams of doing
“Being able to go and see theke it, it’s a really common thing for roasters to do and to want to do.”
Kinder Coffee is open 6:30 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday
