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Cat café lines up coffee operator for purrfect marriage of business, animal-rescue

Cat café lines up coffee operator for purrfect marriage of business, animal-rescue

by DeVore Design, February 17, 2016

If you love coffee and cats, this business is targeted to you.

Axum Coffee in Winter Garden will operate the coffee shop at Orlando Cat Café, set to open this spring. Sandra Cagan, senior vice president of Cagan Management Group, said this week an architect is working with Axum to finalize the kitchen layout and is in the final stages of design work. She anticipated that plans will be submitted to Lake County for approval by month’s end. After approval, Cagan estimated construction would take 60 to 90 days.

“Interest continues to grow daily with many inquiries from near and far being received on a daily basis,” Cagan wrote in an email. Just last week two people from Scotland said they will be vacationing in Clermont and hope to visit the cat café.

For Cagan, who announced plans for the unusual café last fall, securing the right operator was key. She was impressed by the charity work Axum is known for and thought it echoed the philanthropic spirit of her shop.

“[The] primary focus here is to adopt out cats,” Cagan said. A volunteer or part-time employee of the Animal League, a Groveland-based rescue operation, will be on hand to begin the adoption process for anyone interested.

Patrons who walk into the business at the Town Center at Cagan Crossings, which is off U.S. Highway 27 just north of U.S. Highway 192, will have a view of up to 15 cats as they order a cup of joe. A 750-foot play area will be adjacent to but separate from the barista counter and seating, plans show. There will be a separate door to enter the playroom from inside the coffee shop.

Suzanne Bernal, general manager of Axum Coffee, said this is the first time the business will extend its community-minded spirit to help felines in need.

Axum is named after the city in Ethiopia where the owner adopted his four children. It opened about five years ago and focuses on giving back. So far that’s meant making donations to local groups like parent teacher associations, and sponsoring a golf tournament, Bernal said.

The opportunity to work with Cagan Management Group and the Animal League presents a unique opportunity.

“Cats are all the rage,” Bernal said.

The Orlando Cat Café website touts pictures of Siamese cats Spice and Harvest, as well as domestic short hairs Persimmon and Groucho. But those animals are no longer up for adoption, said Jessica Whitehouse, director of development for Animal League.

Cagan, who answers the telephone with a quick “meow, meow,” said the business holds a special place in her heart. It offers a way for her to blend her extensive property-management experience with a passionate love of cats, she noted.

“It’s a win-win for me,” she said.

jinman@orlandosentinel.com