Caribou Coffee has officially started brewing in Cedar Falls.

Caribou gave away coupon booklets to their first 100 customers to celebrate their grand opening last Thursday. The booklets contained 52 coupons, each redeemable for one free cup of coffee each week for one year. 

Hours before opening at 5:30 a.m., customers began lining up in front of the coffee house in hopes of winning one of the highly-valued coupon booklets.

Caribou is one of many coffee shops sprinkled around Cedar Falls. Kat Hauser, a Caribou manager, doesn’t see competing coffee shops as a threat and revels in Caribou’s unique flavor.    “All the coffee shops are so different from one another and Caribou Coffee will fit in nicely with the mix of coffee shops,” Hauser said. “The overall culture is unique.  We are very people-oriented and people-driven.” 

The new coffee is located at 6719 University Ave, about a mile off campus next to other recently-opened restaurants.

Students and customers can get their caffeine fix bright and early as their doors open at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday mornings. If it’s looking like a late night, Caribou closes at 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sundays.

For students planning to make their first visit, Hauser recommends the mint condition mocha with white chocolate and welcomes students looking for a new hangout.

“This is a cozy place to come study or meet up with a friend; it’s not the kind of place to just drink your coffee and leave,” Hauser said.