For months, residents of College Hill have been buzzing with excitement over the announcement of Brown Bee Coffee 鈥� a new cafe and bakery set to open at 404 Benefit St..
Brown Bee was first in April 2023, with an opening date scheduled for November of that same year. But, supply-chain setbacks and equipment licensing delayed the opening by several months, explained owner Waleed Ghazi.
The cafe now aims to open by late May, prior to Brown鈥檚 spring 2024 commencement ceremonies, Ghazi shared in an interview with The Herald.
Ghazi attributed the delays to challenges achieving the unique 鈥渃afe culture鈥� and ambiance he envisioned for Brown Bee. 鈥淗ad we just opened a coffee shop, it would have been a lot easier and more streamlined,鈥� he said. To Ghazi, the cafe should be 鈥渁 place people want to go every day and spend time in.鈥�
But Brown Bee is not just a coffee shop. 鈥淏rown Bee is a lifestyle,鈥� Ghazi said.
Beyond offering traditional coffee beverages, such as its signature dark roast 鈥淏uzz Blend,鈥� the cafe will also feature a full bakery and kitchen, allowing for in-house baked eats.
In particular, Ghazi hopes the new eatery will transform New England鈥檚 鈥渃roissant scene,鈥� which he found was 鈥渓acking compared to (its counterparts) in Asia and Europe,鈥� he said.
The cafe also hopes to incorporate a walk-in only, limited weekend brunch menu. While the details are still not finalized, Ghazi said that it will 鈥渂e an experience that鈥檚 slightly more elevated than your classic cafe breakfast.鈥�
Ghazi also shared that Brown Bee will offer a curated clothing collection that 鈥渆levates the classic cafe merch (where) you would just find a cap and a t-shirt by the register.鈥�
Curated as a nod to the historical district of Providence, Brown Bee will be both 鈥渕odern鈥� and 鈥渢imeless,鈥� with the hope that 鈥�50 years from now, the space will look special in its own way,鈥� he added. He noted that Brown Bee has collaborated with New Orleans-based lighting designers to revamp the streetlamps outside of the cafe with gas flames. He hopes this will add character to the exterior of the building and enhance the feel of the historical district.
Ghazi also described his plans for other renovation projects, such as transforming vintage mail sorters into a coffee register and repurposing centuries-old chimney bricks for exterior and interior decor.
But not all projects have run smoothly, Ghazi explained. At more than 200 years old, the building occupied by Brown Bee was built using 鈥� a form of architecture that requires many supportive posts. This ran contrary to Ghazi鈥檚 vision of an open layout, requiring the team to 鈥渞edo the entire structure of the building.鈥�
But a background in real estate and construction allowed Ghazi to 鈥渘avigate through the construction part of Brown Bee a lot more stress-free than a new owner 鈥� renting a space,鈥� he explained. Ghazi鈥檚 real-estate company, , owns Brown Bee鈥檚 building. As a result he 鈥渇elt that (his) ideas came to fruition a lot more.鈥�
In fact, Ghazi first conceived of Brown Bee in 2022, after his company first purchased the property and started to receive offers from local businesses seeking to rent the space. 鈥淭hat led me to think that 鈥� maybe this is my sign to get into the food industry,鈥� Ghazi said.
Brown Bee will join a multitude of local businesses serving coffee to the College Hill and Fox Point communities.
Autumn Qiu 鈥�25, who frequents Ceremony and Starbucks for their specialty drinks and productive atmospheres, looks forward to having another cafe around. 鈥淚 like to study in coffee shops,鈥� she wrote in an email to The Herald. 鈥淭he sound of people鈥檚 conversation is like white noise for me and I can really focus.鈥�
Qiu first came across Brown Bee on the way to Trader Joe鈥檚 and plans to visit when it opens. She is looking forward to 鈥渃ozy study spaces鈥� and 鈥済ood music.鈥� She also hopes that Brown Bee will offer higher quality drinks than the 鈥渙ver-extracted鈥� coffee she has found at some other cafes in Providence.
For Gaby Choi 鈥�26, a frequenter of Coffee Exchange on Wickenden Street, price is one of the main factors when deciding where to get her caffeine buzz. 鈥淐offee is so overpriced almost everywhere now,鈥� she wrote in a message to The Herald.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to seeing (Brown Bee鈥檚) interior design and workspaces,鈥� Moonhee Kim 鈥�26 wrote in a message to The Herald. 鈥淚 think coffee shops say so much about a city鈥檚 character, and I hope Brown Bee adds to the authenticity of Providence.鈥�
Tom Li is a Metro Editor covering the Health & Environment and Development & Infrastructure beats. He is from Pleasanton, California, and is concentrating in Economics and International & Public Affairs. He is an avid RIPTA passenger and enjoys taking (and criticizing) personality tests in his free time.
