(Hannah Gunnell/South Indy Connect photo) After two years of building a brand new building for her coffee shop, Taylor Hummel opened the drive through portion of Milk and Honey Coffeehouse Saturday, Feb. 2. She hopes to have the dining area open later this spring.
By HANNAH GUNNELL
Taylor Hummel’s life has been quite the adventure.
The New Palestine graduate completed college in Michigan and then was a teacher in Hawaii before returning home and pursuing her dream of opening a coffee shop.
“I’ve always loved coffee since I was a kid,” she said. “I worked at a couple coffee shops and got some experience, and then [opening my own place] has been a process for the last two years.”
Hummel built Milk and Honey Coffeehouse from the ground up at 8505 Southeastern Avenue in Wanamaker. The shop is coastal themed.
“It’s called Milk and Honey as a reference to a Bible verse about God providing blessings to his people,” she said. “I want it to be a reminder to me every day that I walk in here of the gift I was given in Hawaii to figure out who I am and grow up a little bit.”
The biggest thing she’s learned so far is the process of constructing a building. She thanked her father, Keith Dickerson, and her building crew for getting the new facility up and running.
The coffee shop has a drive-thru area separate from the dining area and an event rental space as well. Hummel purposefully separated the drive-thru area from the dining room to allow customers to have a quiet, community atmosphere. The drive-thru opened on Saturday, Feb. 2, and the dining area/event space will open later this year.
“It was awesome,” she said. “We had so much support for the community. We are just feeling very blessed. Everyone has been supportive and kind, and it’s been a crazy busy week.”
Right now, Milk and Honey is only serving drinks. The drinks are named for various Hawaiian themes. The most popular drinks so far are The Swell (vanilla and caramel), The Eddie (caramel macchiato, but with salted caramel; and named for a Hawaiian surf competition), and The Turtle (macadamia nut and caramel).
“[The macadamia nut and caramel] was one of my favorite drinks to order on Oahu, and I haven’t been able to find it around here,” Hummel said. “When I moved back I was like I need a macadamia nut latte and I couldn’t find it so I decided to offer it here.”
In addition to coffee, Milk and Honey Coffeehouse also offers refreshers and teas. Hummel hopes to serve food once the dining room is open.
Hummel hopes her event rental space will be host to a variety of community events. She owns an LLC for her charcuterie company and event planning companies, but this is her first brick and mortar.
“I love adventure and I’m trying to bring a little bit of it here to the midwest,” she said. “I’m excited to see what adventures this place takes us on.”
